All She Wants
by Sorceress14
Summary: In a world of dangerous love potions, arousal spells, boys that aren't sure if they're gay, jealous friends, and a Dark Lord hellbent on destruction, it's difficult to figure out what a girl wants. HGDMBZ Contains SLASH! CHP 7 IS UP!
1. Desires

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: this is my first real attempt at a multichaptered story with an actual 'point' to it, so please review and tell me what you think. This is kinda derived from my own experiences like today for instance when my best friend got together with the guy I have liked for my entire life (she knew I liked him) and this is my way of getting my frustration out and to show all of you girls who aren't the life of the party and mostly keep to themselves, you can have fum too! Okay, here we go then...

Chapter 1: Desires

Books. Night and day, over and over, fliping pages, disecting, rereading, buying more...and on the list goes. Hermione Granger's dearest ambition in life was to read as much as possible and to learn something new everyday. She stuck by this ambition like a fly on a spider web and never once faltered in her constant purge for knowlege. All that was about to change.

It was 7:00 and dinner was just beginning. Hermione was in a hurry to eat because she wanted to get to the library in order to get in some last minutes studying before they closed. She wasn't really paying attention to anyone or anything, she just wanted to get the hell out of there! She was so focused that she didn't even notice Parvati and Lavender chatting about their latest sex-charades after a night of wild partying and drugs.

Hermione was very much against alot -- if not all -- of the activities that her fellow classmates participated in on a regualr basis. Every time she would lecture Harry or Ron on how they should be more focused on school than anything else, they seemed to think that life meant nothing if you weren't constantly having fun. Hermione dissagreed. She felt that it was okay to have fun sometimes but ruining your career over a one night stand should not be included in that. She supposed that she was different from the other girls in that way. Maybe it was because she never had a boyfriend or the simple fact that she was raised right, she wasn't sure.

Hermione was busy piling food onto her plate as Parvati said loud enough for everyone to hear "Blaise and I had sex last night and it was absolutely amazing!"

Hermione and Lavender were the only ones that looked her way. Everyone else at the Gryffindor table had heard enough of Parvati's sex life to last them a life time but Lavender always seemed as though she couldn't get enough. Hermione, on the other hand, couldn't believe her ears. Of course, she was use to this kind of talk on a regular bais also, but never had she thought that something about Blaise would arise.

Blaise was a Slytherin and the strangest of their kind. He was always very quiet and kept to himself. Hermione often found him in occasional mischief but never anything serious. He seemed to be an all around wonderfull person, not to mention his fabulous looks. Hermione supposed that with a smile and body like that, that he had had a fair few girlfriends but Hermione had been sure that if he did, they would have been special to him and he would cherish them, not just throw them aroud like yesterday's trash. And by all means, Parvati _was _yesterday's trash. She had been with practically every guy in the school not to mention some of the girls.

Hermione didn't know why she even cared so much. After all, her life was all about books and knowlege, right? Or did Hermione have the smallest of crushes on the gold-skinned Slytherin that she wasn't quite yest ready to admit -- even to herself.

Hermione quit listening before she did something that she regreted and got up from the table. Without even a backward glance at Harry and Ron, she was dashing off to the library in the hopes of overcoming her new train of thoughts with never-ending dusty tomes.

As Hermione was walking she did not notice a pair of hazel eyes on her back as she zoomed through the door. In fact, she didn't notice a thing. Hermione was very preoccupied in trying to not think about the thing that wouldn't cease. Halfway to the Great Hall, Hermione changed her mind about her destination. With her head buzzing with thought of Blaise and revenge for Parvati, she concluded that no studying would be possible.

She turned around and started heading up more flight of stairs in the direction of the Head Girls Dormitory which she shared with Draco Malfoy, another Slytherin. Unlike Blaise, he fit perfectly with the description if what a Slytherin should really be. He was arrogant, mischievous, insulting, and very ambitious. He also hated Hermione's guts, just as she hated his. She hated how he called her 'mudblood' every chance he got, she hated how he hogged the bathroom, how he flirted with every girl in the school, how he insulted her very existence, how he though the world revolved around him alone, and that was just the beginning of the list.

But, she had no time to think of Draco. She had to get to her dorm and do something about all her thought. She wanted to cry, she wanted to punch Parvati, she wanted to slap Blaise, she wanted to kiss Blaise, she wanted to throw all her stupid values and morals out the window, she wanted to rip her hair out and just scream until she could scream no more. She never got the chance to do any of these things because the second she walked into the Head Dorms, she ran pell-mell into the prince of Slytherin himself.

As she disentangled her self from the male body in front of her, she looked up, blushing slightly as Draco said "watch it there, Mudblood, one would think you were sex deprived. And also, we wouldn't want to get my robes dirty -- I just washed them. And with that he strode past her out of the portrait hole to god knows where. This left Hermione even more depressed

She wanted to do all of those things that she knew would relieve her anger if even only slightly but she couldn't. she was too tired, Her mind was mentally wore out. Of all the times she had stayed up all night studying, had she ever had more to think about. Not once in her life, had her head felt more full. She wanted to sleep but she had to set some things straight first.

A sudden burst of energy seemed to fill Hermione. It seemed as if her tired body gained adrenaline from a source of unknown butterflies that danced around her stomach at the thought of Parvati and Blaise being together. It was as though her body were setting something straight with her mind, whether she knew it or not. She was going to set that slut Parvati Patil and all her little whore friends straight. She was sick of being the one to listened to the exploits instead of telling them. She was desperate and had only one person she could turn to to help her with this problem.

Hermione rushed up to her dorm and slammed the door behind her. Like the bookworm that she was, Hermione felt the need to prepare what she was planning before rushing off to make rash decisions. She got her notebook that was full of past homework assignments and turned to a new page. She grabbed her quill and some black ink form her bag and began to scribble furiously.

When she was quite positive she had got all the major details of her very complicated plan, she went back out of the dorm. She wasn't surprised to see Draco sitting on the couch as if he owned the place. She didn't need his insults with her head already full to the bursting so, as quietly as possible, she tiptoed down the spiral staircase. Apparently, she was not quiet enough. At the creek of a stair, Draco turned his head in her direction.

"Oh, look, little miss bump-a lot has come to play. What fun," he said a slow grin beginning to form over his lips. "I don't have time, Malfoy," she said with the meanest glare she could manage and without hesitation, walked out, slamming the portrait in his pale pointed face. Yes, a change had definitely come over her but only time would tell if it was for the better.

As she hurried along the corridors, Hermione replayed her plan in her head. She was going to go see Ginny in the Gryffindor common room, then she would ask Ginny to help her get Blaise into bed. That was the very simple part of the plan. The hard part was coming up with a way to seduce the hottest male within the confines of Hogwarts, except perhaps the equally delicious Draco Malfoy whose abysmal behavior got in the way of his more charming demeanor. Hermione hated his guts but she had to admit that he was a very sexy man.

This thought disturbed Hermione greatly. She had never had these sort of feelings for Draco before. After this strange sensation had come over her, she was suddenly feeling different about everything. Was there something in the food I ate, she thought to herself. She quickly put this thought out of her mind as she reached the common room that she missed so dearly.

She called out the password that Harry and Ron had given her and entered. inside, a few seventh year were sitting around doing their homework, including Parvati Patil. "Hi, Hermione," she said with a smile on her face. "I saw you rush off from dinner, is something the matter?" Hermione almost pounced right there. Parvati was talking to her as though she was a child and didn't understand the trivial matters that came with being popular. Hermione knew more than any of them and they knew yet they refused to acknowledge her. "Jealous," Hermione whispered to herself. "What was that? Did you say something?" said Parvati, in that same motherly voice. "Nothing," she huffed before jetting up the stairs to the girls dorms.

When she got there, an unpleasant sight met her eyes. On her old bed were Ginny, Harry, and Lavender, all entwined in a three way kiss that almost made her sick. They didn't even seem to notice that she had entered the room. They just continued kissing, tongues tangling in a never-ending web of lust. Hermione was about to leave when she saw Harry's hand reach up to Lavender's bra strap but that same tingly feeling came over her and almost forced her to move closer to the bed.

At the creek of the old floor boards, Harry looked in her direction and quickly untangled himself from the two girls. "Hermione," he said, panting a bit from the loss of air "I can explain," he began. "There's no need to explain," said Hermione in a seductive voice that she had never heard herself use before. Without further ado, Hermione walked all the way over to the bed, the eyes of all three startled teenagers following her progress. she sat down on an empty spot on the bed and whispered into Harry's ear "Mind if I join you?" Hermione heard Harry's breath catch in his throat and felt the two girls on either side of her shift in their movement, but not as thought to move away.

Without having the slightest idea of what she was doing, Hermione slowly traced her hand from Harry's chest down to his newly growing erection. He moaned at the contact as Hermione gripped him in her hand. As she did this, Lavender bent down to give her her first real kiss. She felt the other girl's tongue exploring the inner depths of her mouth. She tentatively slid her tongue into Lavender's and mimicked her lustful motions. Soon they were both moaning. In just a few minutes of this, Hermione felt another tongue join in the action. This felt strange at first but she soon got used to it.

When Hermione finally detached herself to get some much needed air, she realized that it was Ginny who had joined in their battle of tongues. She also saw that Harry now had his pants completely off and that he was massaging his length, watching the three girls as cum began to squirt from the tip of his pink head. His head arched back in ecstasy as Hermione enveloped his mouth in an heated kiss.

She broke away to slowly lift his shirt off and then quickly kissed him again, feeling lonely at the loss of contact. As Hermione began leaving a trail of kisses down Harry's chest, she felt either Lavender or Ginny begin to kiss her neck and one of then start to take off her shoes. As Hermione reached Harry's lower stomach, she began to plant kisses around his pelvis and then lower to the top part of his penis.

Hermione had never seen a penis before, but she was sure that if she had, this one must be pretty big in comparison. It had a small line of hair from the top and was leaking with a whitish pre-cum from the swollen head. She looked up to see Harry looking at her expectantly. She was still a virgin and did not want to give herself to someone she considered a good friend but that didn't mean that she couldn't pleasure him another way.

Without asking for permission, Hermione lowered her mouth onto Harry's pulsing cock. At the heat of her mouth, a slow moan escaped Harry's lips. She had almost forgotten about the two girls behind her but was reminded in full when one of them lifted her shirt off her head in one simple motion and the other unsnapped her bra with the same amount of ease.

Hermione had never been naked in front of anyone before unless you counted the day she was born. She suddenly felt very self-conscious and lifted herself off of Harry's length. Harry grunted in frustration. "I'm sorry," said Hermione finally coming to her senses and quickly covering herself with her discarded shirt. "I don't know what's come over me," said Hermione in a small voice. She quickly replaced her shoes, socks, t-hirt and bra. Lastly, she picked up her robes which she swung over her shoulder. She looked back to see that each of their faces was of pure shock and disappointment. Hermione felt bad but she was still wondering what the hell had just happened. Ever since she had gone into the head dorms that evening, she had felt driven to do things that she would have never dreamed to do in a normal state.

Wait a second, Hermione thought. Then it hit her -- Malfoy! She had run into him on her way up the stairs. that's when she started feeling this way. Had he done something to her to make her feel extra rebellious? When she found him, she was going to kill him -- no hex him until he wished she had killed him.

She took one last look at the faces of those that she was about to shag and ran from the dorm. She sprinted across the common room, drawing some stares from some there. Parvati was about to say something to her in that god damn motherly voice again when she turned to her and said "Go fuck yourself". She heard a gasp but didn't stay to hear the rest. She slammed the door and rushed back down the stairs.

She was going to get Draco for this and she was going to get him good.


	2. Silken Sheets and Bad Tempered Italians

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters or places. you know the drill...

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, they were all so encouraging. Well, here's the next chap.

WARNINGS: Contains slash. If you don't like it, don't read it!

Chapter 2: Silken Sheets And Bad Tempered Italians

Hermione hadn't an inkling of how Draco had turned her into a mindless slut in less than five seconds but she was pretty sure she knew why he did it. She knew that she had been flustered over the whole Parvati/Blaise thing and she knew that it had shown. When she had entered that common room, heat was radiating from her. This might have been what had given her away but Hermione knew better.

About a week after school started, Hermione was starting to get frustrated. This was about the point when she started having a crush on Blaise (though she still wouldn't admit it). As Draco's best friend, Blaise would hang out around the head common room a lot, enabling Hermione to get to know him better. They had talked a bit but never too much because Draco was always right by his side insulting Hermione. Everytime this happened, Blaise would apologize for his friends behavior which would cause Draco to yell at him to leave and then mumble about guests giving him lessons on manners.

Hermione saw Blaise very little after so many of these instances but it seemed like every moment they spent apart, the tension to see him again was mounting. This was not the kind of tension you get when you have not seen a best friend in a very long time and are desperately awaiting their arrival. No, this tension was the kind that caused Hermione to relieve herself of her ache every night in her bed. She had never touched herself before in such a private way but she needed touch desperately and no one else could do it for her. Of course, she did wish that it was Blaise's hands bringing her to her peak and not her own.

While doing such daring acts, Hermione was very careful to not let Draco in on what she was up to. She didn't want to think of what he would do if he found out that the head girl and the top student in the entire school no less, masturbated. His reaction would be even more fatal had he known that it was his best friend she was masturbating to. She made sure to only do this long after Draco had gone to sleep. She also locked the door to her dorm securely and put silencing charms on every inch of it. She thought that she was safe from prying eyes, but apparently she was wrong.

On Halloween night, Hermione had just gotten back from the feast. She spent the whole of it staring at Blaise, waiting for it to be over. She needed to get back to her room and relieve herself from the pain. She was so caught up in these thought that she didn't even think to lock the door or to put up the silencing spells. She just rushed into her room, without a second thought, she rushed into her room, slammed the door shut and hopped onto her bed. Within seconds, her pants were down, her fingers inside herself, panting and sweating.

Only about 10 minutes into her little session, her door opened to reveal the shocked pale face of Draco Malfoy. Hermione was so stunned that she did not have time to explain herself or even pull her pants up before he walked over to the bed. "Looks like the head girl is in dire need of something that no one is willing to give to her," he whispered on her ear as he situated himself on the bed next to her. She motioned to pull her pants back up, blushing furiously but he caught her hand before she could do so.

His hand was now very close to her private area, still resting on hers. He seemed to come to himself and removed his hand. He got up of the bed and moved to the floor. He bent down right in between her spread legs. She watched as he devoured her pink folds with his eyes. He bent even closer to her and breathed in deep. Hermione felt his hot breath on her pussy. He smirked up at her, realizing the effect he was having. "Nice view, Granger," he said, still smirking. He got up and walked toward the door. "I just came up to ask you why you weren't out patrolling with me as we have duty," he said. He took one last look at her dripping pussy, winked and left, leaving Hermione the most embarrassed and aroused than she had ever been in her life.

If she had to think of the most outrageous reaction Malfoy would have had to seeing her in this venerable position, that would not have been it. First, she would have expected him to be disgusted at seeing her touching herself and second, she would have thought that he would definitely use this against. She thought he would taunt her and never let her live it down. But no, he hadn't done any of those things. He actually seemed to enjoy the situation. He had actually smelled her! And liked it! Hermione didn't know how she smelled down there but she was positive that it couldn't be anything good.

After that night, she was positively terrified of who he would tell and when he would do it. He seemed to be enjoying her constant state of nervousness and this power that he held over her.

When she had walked into her, he asked her if she was sexually frustrated, probably just another pun in his never ending game. Then, he must have cast some sort of spell on her, without her noticing. He probably wanted to show everyone that she was really as randy as he said she was because no one would have believed him about her exploits on Halloween, not even the Slytherins.

But, there was a problem in this theory. Draco had no idea that Hermione was going out that night. he probably figured that after dinner, she would have gone to bed. if he had hexed her somehow, he must have done it with the intention of getting her horny in the common room -- with only him there. Was he hoping that she would wank again and he could take pictures or something or was he hoping that she would have sex with him? She dismissed this last thought fairly quickly, saying that it was impossible that rich, snobby, pure blood Draco Malfoy could ever want someone like her. But, Hermione was very disturbed to realize that the thought of shagging Malfoy didn't disgust her one bit.

She tried to put this out of her mind as she walked closer to the head dorms. He had tried to put her into a submissive position and ruined two of her best friendships all in one night and she was going to make sure that he paid dearly for it. She knew that Harry and Ginny would never forgive her for leading them on and then leading like that but there was still a chance of redemption if she got Malfoy to admit what he had done to her.

When she reached the portrait of a dark skinned centaur that faintly reminded her of Blaise, she said the password "Unity" and entered. There was no one there. the green and scarlet couch and tow gold and silver chairs were empty as were the tables reserved for homework. Hermione figured that Draco had gone up to bed early. She usually didn't like to disturb people when they were sleeping but the circumstances were different. He had gone into her room without knocking and look where it had landed her. She mustered up all her courage and ascended the spiral staircase leading up to their dorms.

When she got to the door, she opened it and a stunning sight met her eyes. There, in Draco's large satin sheeted bed, was the hottest sight that Hermione had ever laid eyes on. Draco was completely naked and had his head thrown back in what was unmistakable pleasure, his silvery-blonde locks falling into his lust-filled eyes. But Draco was not alone. There, covering Draco's length with his mouth was none other than Blaise Zabini.

Draco saw her there and looked up. he did not seem perturbed in the least that she was watching them. He smirked at her as he was being sucked off. He licked his lips seductively and she almost came in her knickers. Draco then came for real. he arched his back and let out a small moan that sounded absolutely heavenly. He put his hand on Blaise's hair and pushed down as though to urge him further in his blowing.

As Draco came down from his mind-blowing orgasm, Blaise lifted himself from Draco's spent cock. Draco lifted his chin for a heated kiss in which he spent extra time licking his own cum off the Italian boy's face. As they kissed, Hermione felt the urge to leave -- and to join them. She didn't know what to do. The when they broke apart, Blaise turned in her direction. It looked as though he had not known she was there.

"Hermione," he said. His red lips were swollen, his eyes darkened in lust. His erection was sticking out at her and she looked at it instead of his beautiful face. 'His penis was even larger than Harry's', she thought with wonder. He saw where she was looking and quickly covered himself with the nearest silk sheet from Draco's bed. "Don't cover up, Blaise," Draco said, still panting. "She's not as innocent as you think."

Blaise raised his eyebrows at this comment and turned his head to face Hermione again. "I...erm...I--," Hermione stuttered before Draco cut her off "I caught the little Mudblood wanking last week and she hasn't been able to look at me since." All of a sudden, at hearing Draco call her by that horrible name he so often used, she came to her senses. She made to leave but Blaise called her back "Hermione," he said again in that seductive voice. He stood up, wrapping the sheet around the lower half of his body and ties it tight. He was drawing closer to her. "Don't mind the prat," he said softly. They were so close that his lips were almost touching hers. She gasped as his lips came cascading down upon hers in the same sort of kiss that he had given Draco just seconds before. She could taste Draco in the other boy's mouth and thought that he tasted rather good.

Blaise, she could tell, was a highly skilled kisser. He gently caressed her lips with his. He then nibble on her bottom lips, touching the top with his tongue, politely asking permission to enter the depths of her mouth. She opened her mouth slightly in response, feeling giddy as Blaise slid his hot tongue into her mouth. she opened her eyes and saw Draco sitting on the bed watching them. Then, Hermione remembered why she was here.

She unattached her lips from Blaise's, looking apologetically at the ruffled looking boy before rounding on Draco. "You did something to me," she said. "No, I don't believe I did but I would like to," he said, smiling at her. "You know what I mean, Draco!" His smile got wider as he said "You should say my name more often, Granger. it sounds sexy when you say it." Hermione blushed furiously. "Shut up, Malfoy!" she said emphasizing the last word and cursing herself for her mistake.

"What's this about him doing something to you, Hermione?" Blaise asked, now glaring at Draco. Hermione now turned around to face the Italian that she had just snogged. "He put some sort of spell on me to make me...well," she trailed off. "To make you what?" Blaise said, sounding angry that Draco had done something to her. "Horny," Hermione mumbled. "What, i didn't hear that, Granger. Speak up!" "I said HORNY," she practically screamed, feeling quite embarrassed. "And did it work?" Draco asked, his smirk back in place at her outburst. Blaise turned to Draco, looking furious. "So you did do something to her?" Blaise asked, his teeth gritted in anger. "Just having a little fun, Blaise," Draco commented. "Yeah, well your little bit of fun just ruined my friendship with Harry AND Ginny!" Hermione said suddenly.

Draco looked affronted and curious at the same time. "How so, Granger?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing. "I almost shagged Harry, Ginny, and Lavender in the common room," Hermione mumbled. "If Potter EVER touches you --" "You don't own her, Draco. Besides, you caused it to happen in the first place! Why would you do something like that?" Blaise said. Hermione looked at him. Blaise, the one of the hottest guys in the school and a Slytherin to boot was actually standing up for her. "I'll admit that i was trying to get her into bed," Draco mumbled, a slight pink tinge crossing his cheeks. "How dare you," shouted Blaise. "What's the big deal, Blaise? You never had a problem with that sort of thing before," Draco stated. "Yeah, well this is different," he said. "And you know that." "Oh I didn't know you were serious when you said you actually LOVED the little Mudblood," Draco said.

Hermione was stunned by this statement. Blaise LOVED her? He barely even knew her. This whole situation was staring to scare her. She slowly backed out of the room while the two boys that had just been shagging were now arguing.

She slipped back into her room and locked the door. She had no idea what to think. The girl that had just yesterday been obsessed with books and studying and would never in a million year join the 'wild side' had now made out with four different people and almost shagged three of them! She needed time to think and wanted to be left alone. the thing that most kept her in contemplation was the fact the Blaise loved her. She didn't know how it was possible, but she thought she might just love him back.

With all these complicated thought dancing around her head, she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think!


	3. Explanations and Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or places except Blaise's crazy mother who is all mine and mine alone!

A/N:I'm so sorry that this took so long to get up, I was busy thinking of plot bunnies so that this story doesn't go down the road of another PWP. Anyway, thank you all for your wonderful reviews, they really helped me to continue. Also, sorry for the lack of sex in this chapter, I really felt the need to move the plot along but I promise that the next one will be lemony sweet. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3: Explanations and Revelations

Hermione woke up the next day with her head pounding, having no clue why she was still in her school robes and why her hair was matted and more frizzy than usual. She did have no idea -- until she saw Blaise Zabini curled up on the floor outside her room, that is. Hermione suddenly remembered all of the events of the previous night in full detail: her being at dinner, Parvati saying she had shagged Blaise, her going to her dorm, creating a plan, going to see Ginny and Harry, almost getting fucked by her two best friends and one of her dorm mates, her thinking that Draco had cursed her, her finding Draco and Blaise together, Blaise sticking up for her, Draco saying that Blaise loved her. . .

In all her years at Hogwarts, Hermione never thought that she would have to worry about the average girl's problem of emotions and boys. She always thought that she was immune to the desires of this world. Everything had changed so quickly but Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to go back. . .

Without a second thought, she bent down and reached to put Blaise's silky black hair out of his eyes. As she did so, he made a small grunting noise that sounded almost like a soft moan and slowly lifted an eyelid.

"Hermione. . .," Blaise yawned, staring up at her. "Are--are you okay," he asked as he wiped the sleep from his eyes and sat up on his elbows. Hermione sat down beside him on the floor. She looked up at him and saw that his hazel brown eyes were fixed intently on her as though there was nothing he would rather do than listen to every word she had to say. She could not stop looking at those beautiful eyes. She was just sitting there, taking them in, as though wading in a deep pool of a mystery that would never be solved. "Yes, I'm okay," she said, not really taking in his previous words.

"Are you positive? You look a mess. Here, let me help you," he said pulling his wand from his pajama bottoms and waving it over Hermione like a muggle metal detector. All of a sudden, Hermione felt clean. Her hair was no longer matted but silky smooth like it had been for the Yule Ball and she was no longer wearing her night things but a --

"A bikini," Hermione shrieked. "Oops," said Blaise, taking in her tanned body and waving his wand once again until she was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue flowered top. "Wrong spell," he said, smiling. Hermione couldn't help smiling too. "Thanks," she said. "No problem," he uttered, still devouring her eyes with his own. Just then, she realized what she was doing. She had to get down to breakfast and then do her Saturday prefect duties and then apologize to Harry and Ginny and then go to the library to do the week's homework. . .

"I need to go," she said as she stood back up and made to go down the stairs, leading to the Head Common Room. Blaise stood up also and grabbed her arm. She spun around and found that her lips were once again in a battle of lust and emotion with a Slytherin. Hermione broke free.

"I want to talk, Hermione," he said, with seriousness in his voice. "about what happened last night." She could do nothing but sit back down and force herself to relive the craziest things that she would have never even thought of doing a week from now. When she was finished explaining to Blaise about how Draco had caught her masturbating (leaving out the part that it was his face in her mind as she came that night) and how Draco had wanted to show his control over her and Blaise had cursed Draco time and time again, questioning her until her face was crimson with embarrassment, Hermione finally decided to ask some questions of her own.

"The whole reason that I was upset in the first place was because Parvati Patil said that she had shagged you," she said nervously. "Is that true?" Blaise sighed. "Hermione," he said "Parvati is a pureblood witch, which I'm sure you know." Yes," said Hermione tentatively, not sure what dark and dangerous waters this conversation could be heading into. "Well, as you know, pureblood witches and wizards are usually made to marry each other to keep the pure blood line flowing." By this time, tears were brimming in Hermione's eyes. "Seeing her disheveled appearance, Blaise quickly said "And of course I don't agree with a word of it" which perked up Hermione's spirits.

He continued in this same disheartened tone. "Parvati's father sent my parents some papers -- marriage papers," Blaise said. Hermione let out an involuntary gasp. "which my mother then signed." Hermione couldn't believe this was happening. Blaise was going to marry an un-deserving slut just because of some stupid rule!

They sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity until Hermione said "Just because you have to marry her doesn't mean that you had to shag her." Blaise sighed again. "You're right. I didn't have to but I figured if I have to do it, why not get to know her better?" Blaise looked incredibly miserable.

All of a sudden, Hermione said "Blaise, do you love me?" He looked down at her, smiling, a small tear rolling down his cheek. "I do," he said. Hermione's heart melted. She had a million questions but couldn't think of what to ask first. "Why me?" she said, surprised at her own daring. "Now, that's quite an interesting story," he said. "And I'd love to hear it," she said, not able to contain herself from smiling manically. Blaise smiled down at her and began to tell her the tale.

"It was third year and--" she cut him off. "Third year! You started to love me in third year! I didn't even know you, then! I barely even know you now, come to think of it," she said, wondering how she had never noticed him before. "Yes, Hermione, now just listen," Blaise said. She fell silent and continued to listen to him.

"It was third year and Sirius Black was on the loose. Everyone was scared, including me. This was how I became friends with Draco." "You became friends with Draco by being scared of Sirius Black," Hermione asked, bewildered. 'Not exactly," he said. "I had already known Draco for two years and I hated him. He was everything that a Slytherin should be plus much more. We started talking at the beginning of that year. Apparently, our parents had met up with each other in an attempt to form alliances against the Ministry in case they got wind of any Death Eater meetings taking place," he said grimly. "Your parents are Death Eaters," she said, sounding a lot more confidant than she felt at this moment. "My dad was but he was killed by Voldemort before I was born. My mother was terrified that if someone found all of his secret dark arts objects in our house, she would lose everything we had. The only thing that she would think of doing was to call upon one of my father's best friends -- Lucius Malfoy. He seemed to be surprised when she called for his help. He thought that she had gone over to the light side and he was very suspicious of her but eventually she gained his trust by performing the scared oath. That's when --". "I know what a sacred oath is, just continue," said Hermione, impatient to hear the rest of this story. Blaise looked as though he should have known that Hermione would know what it was.

"Anyway, she took the oath and the two of them began doing all sorts of spells on our house to make sure that everything was hidden completely. During this time, I spent most of my time up in my room, reading and studying, trying to block out the evil that was going on right below me. I was also trying to block out the moans coming from my mother's bedroom at night when she thought that I had gone to sleep." Hermione gasped. "Your mother and Lucius?" she asked. "Yep," he said, as though he didn't want to talk about it. Hermione dropped the subject immediately and let Blaise continue.

"By this time, the house was entirely transformed. The library, once full with books of dark magic was now full of books on how to make a meal in ten seconds and how to get doxies out of your furniture, the living room, once full with paintings of satanic lords and past Death Eaters were replaced by painting of sunflowers and mermaids, the drawing room, once filled with cupboard upon cupboard of unidentifiable potions and poisons had its place taken by cupboards full of cooking ingredients and parchment. The house was totally unrecognizable. I wished that it would have stayed the way it was so that my father could be known for dying at the hands of his master as a coward and not as a hero fighting him.

"Then, one day Lucius invited my mother and I to have dinner at the Malfoy Manor. My mother was a bit skeptical because Lucius's wife would be there but once he assured her that his wife did not mind them being together and that she was just there to look after Draco, she agreed. I was not so joyous about going myself. Draco and I had never gotten along that well and I was not in the mood to argue with the boy but my mother said that I had to go, it was polite.

"About a week after my mother had agreed to go, I found myself wearing a highly polished looking set of wizard's robes and my hair slicked back. I hated it. I reminded myself of Draco. Using, side-by-side apparition (my mother said that floo powder would ruin her dress), we arrived in the welcoming chamber of Malfoy Manor. It looked just as I had expected it to. It was enormous with an erie lighting and every sort of dark object imaginable in plain sight. My mother had once asked Lucius about clearing evidence from his house as well but he assured her that it was perfectly safe because his manor was uplottable. After washing up in the bathroom, I planned to head down the stairs and go to a dinner that I would probably never forget. That's when I saw him. Draco was just standing there, watching me. I had never seen him outside of school before and he looked quite different. He didn't look as composed and full of himself as he usually did. He looked quite frightened to be in his own house.

"'What're you doing here?', he'd said. Apparently, Lucius had not let his son know that my mother and I were coming. I told him that I was invited for dinner and he seemed to tense. I had a feeling that he knew about his father's relationship with my mother and that he wasn't to happy about it." "What gave you that impression," Hermione asked. "Just the fact that he punched me in the face," Blaise commented conversationally. "How dare he," said Hermione outraged. "It isn't your fault what your mother does. No offense," she said realizing what she had said. "It's okay," Blaise said. "I'm not that fond of my mother to tell you the truth. Anyway, back to the story." He cleared his throat. "I went back downstairs to sit for dinner when my mother asked me why I had a bruise under my left eye. I wasn't that skilled of a wizard then so I had no way to conceal the fact that Draco had slugged me. Lucius guessed what had happened and he went upstairs. I didn't know what Lucius was capable of doing but I had a feeling that whatever it was couldn't be good. I asked Narcissa to be excused which probably wasn't the best of ideas seeing that her and my mother hated each other's guts by this time but I had to see what was happening. I sneaked up the stairway and I heard voices coming from Draco's bedroom. I went into the bathroom on the left of it and pressed my ear up against the thick stone wall to hear what was going on. I couldn't hear a thing. the wall was just too thick so I racked my brain to think of a spell that could let me eavesdrop before it was to late. Finally, I decided on the magnifying charm. I hoped against hope that it would not make them too loud. and my mother and Narcissa would hear. I put the spell on the wall and was relieved to hear that I could just barely hear them. '--mother deserves better than that,' I heard Draco's voice say. Then I heard a great clattering noise and I knew that Lucius had thrown Draco up against the wall. 'You are not to tell me what that whore of a woman deserves. I will deal with my own affairs and you yours'.

"I then heard a slamming that I knew was Draco's father leaving his room and slamming the door behind him. When I finally heard his footsteps receding back down the spiral staircase, I left the bathroom and walked over to the door of Draco's bedroom, contemplating whether to go in or not. Just then the door opened and Draco was standing there with a black eye and a bloody nose. I saw that he was crying. 'You,' he had shouted. It was the angriest I had ever heard him, including the time that a first year stole his invisibility cloak. He limped out the door and took a swing at me but he was barely in a condition to walk let alone fight so I ducked and caught him before he fell down the stairs. I walked him back into his bedroom and sat him down. He tried to punch me away. He didn't want my help but the second I let go, he would fall over again so he allowed me to clutch him until I propped him up on some pillows.

"'You don't have to do this,' he had said. 'I can take care of myself.' I just looked at him and saw that he was still crying. That was the longest, most powerful talk that I had ever had with anyone. I told him about my father and how my mother treated me and he, in turn, told me about his horrible life. How his father wanted him to become a Death Eater, how he would never live up to the right standards, how he had to help his mother when his father would bring home a new mistress. . .that's when I actually started to feel sorry for him. Ever since that night, Draco and I were friends," Blaise finished lamely.

"What does any of this have to do with you loving me," Hermione asked, a bit dissapointed. "I'm getting to that part," said Blaise, still reveling in his and Draco's friendship. "That night we also talked about you. We were talking about how our parents were going to force us to marry pure bloods and Draco said that he wished he didn't have to. He said he had to put on a show for a girl every day, whom he truly liked but was made to despise because of her bloodline. I felt sorry for him. I didn't know until we got back to school that that girl was you." "No," Hermione said faintly. "Draco hates me. He purposely makes my life hell. He hates muggleborns just as much as his father," Hermione said defiantly, unable to believe what she just heard. "Maybe he does now. He's been around his father and the torture if he does something wrong for so long, maybe he believes that he does think all of those things. But, at that moment, Hermione, I could hear the pain in Draco's voice. He sounded like there was nothing he hated more than lying to you," Blaise said.

Hermione didn't know what to say. All that time that they fought, Draco was just trying to live up to his father. He liked her. . .Blaise just continued his story without bothering to see how Hermione would react to this. Maybe he was scared of what he would find if he looked down into her eyes at that moment. Maybe he would see sympathy or maybe he would see love in her eyes -- love that was not for him. . .

"Anyway, during that year, I had not forgotten that talk that Draco and I had had. I was anxious to know who that girl that Draco cared so much about was. That year, we had Care of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors. I didn't particularly like them too much. They always seemed so loud and immersed in their own problems, not a care in the world -- a lot like Draco, to tell you the truth. But, that was when I saw you." Hermione blushed. "You were the most intelligent and strong-willed girl that I had ever seen. You reminded me of my mother, except for the fact that you were not evil and heartless. . . Anyway, I liked you right from the start and I wanted to learn as much about you as possible. At the time, i had no idea that you were muggleborn or that you were in fact the object of Draco's affection. I found out the hard way.

"I told Draco how I had found a girl that I really liked and he seemed genuinely happy for me. That is, until I described you to him and asked if he knew you. The second that he stormed up to the dormitory and slammed the door in my face, I knew what was wrong. I knew that you were the one. I cried myself to sleep that night. I wanted you so badly and I knew I couldn't have you and not just because of Draco -- but because you were a muggleborn. I knew that my mother would kill me if she ever found out, but I continued to watch you day after day, waiting for any sign they could tell me you were not the one that I was deeply in love with, looking for a girl as a replacement for my misplaced desire but it never came. As the years went by, Draco and I never mentioned your name again. I had really grown to believe that he hated you and I had tried to move on with other girls but though I didn't mention you, that didn't mean I didn't think about you every night while I. . ." Blaise trailed off. "Oh," Hermione said in realization. "It's okay," she said almost laughing, knowing that she had done the exact same thing and was feeling just as guilty about it.

Blaise seemed relieved and kept on talking, although his cheeks showed that he was still a bit uncomfortable. "Your name never came up until this year. Draco had made Head Boy. How? I had no idea with his attitude, but he did. I knew that you would make Head Girl with your ability to keep others in line with just the right balance of strictness and kindness. Anyway, by this time, Draco and I were best friends, sharing everything with each other, including the details of our sex lives, which was a bit low running on my part. Draco, however seemed to have a new story every day. I truly did believe that he had gotten over you.

"Naturally, us being best friends, I wanted to spend a lot of time in the common room but as you can probably guess, that wasn't my only reason," he said. Hermione giggled. "By this time, I was no longer scared of what my mother would do to me if she found out that I was with a muggleborn. I could take care of myself. I felt even better when I saw you staring at me across the Great Hall almost every night." "I. . . I kind of started to like you around that time. After I had got to talk to you," Hermione said nervously. Blaise smiled. I tried to come to the common room as much as possible to have a conversation with you and to get your views on things but Draco seemed to always be around. After awhile, it seemed as though he didn't like me talking to you. I thought, at first, it was because he hated you and didn't want me making nice with his enemy but I soon learned otherwise.

"Draco got fed up one day and sat me down on his bed. He said that I shouldn't flirt with the girl he once loved. I was shocked that Draco even remembered liking you after all of the fighting. He didn't say that he still loved you though, which gave me some hope. Because, if Draco did love you, I wouldn't stand in between. Draco is my friend and I would never want to hurt him. Well, actually when he gets annoying I would like to hurt by throwing a vase at his head but that's besides the point. . . Anyway, I let slip that I loved you. Draco pretended to be unhurt so I took my chance. Don't get mad at me for this, 'Mione. . ."

"Why would I be mad at you," she asked.

"Just listen," he said. "I had a plan to be with you but I couldn't do it alone. I asked Draco to help me. I told him an arousal spell that he could do a week ahead of time so that he could practice," Blaise said, sounding guilty. "I told him to skip dinner on the tenth of November and to be waiting in the common room when you got back. I told him to put the spell on you. I then planned to come into the common room and be with you and explain everything later but the plan went all wrong.

"After Draco put the spell on you, I was already up in his bedroom. When he was done, I was about to come out when I saw you leave. I didn't know where you were going but I knew that I had to find another way for us to be together because the arousal spell would have worn off by the time you got back and if you have to many put on you at once, it can damage the brain. . .

"Anyway, I was thinking hard about what to do. I knew that eventually, you would realize what Draco had done and that you would come back. There was only one thing to do.

"I once found some muggle porno tapes of my mom's. I thought that it was pointless at the time but it was the first time that I had ever thought about two men being together before. It didn't really disgust me but it didn't turn me on either. I knew that since my mom was aroused by that kind of thing that maybe you would be too. I knew that it was a long shot but it was my only chance to be with you. It took a lot of convincing and some heavy gold exchange but I finally got Draco to do it with me -- literally.

By now, Hermione was crying. "How could you let me have blame Draco for everything when it was you all this time? How could you tell me you love me and then tell me about how you tried to seduce me and then blame it on your best friend! Why on Earth couln't you have just told me you loved me," Hermione yelled. She got up immediately and ran for the door. Blaise called her back but she wasn't listening. In a matter of seconds, she was gone.

That was when Draco came out of the dorm. "I told you it was a bad idea, mate," he said as he sat down next to Blaise. "For once Draco, I actually agree with you."


	4. A Sanctuary Invaded

Disclaimer: I've tried blackmail, violence, and even chocolate cupcakes but sadly, these characters still do not belong to me.

A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, I love you! Here's the much awaited chapter!

Chapter Recap:

By now, Hermione was crying. "How could you let me have blamed Draco for everything when it was you all this time? How could you tell me you love me and then tell me about how you tried to seduce me and then blame it on your best friend! Why on Earth couldn't you have just told me you loved me," Hermione yelled. She got up immediately and ran for the door. Blaise called her back but she wasn't listening. In a matter of seconds, she was gone. "I told you it was a bad idea, mate," he said as he sat down next to Blaise. "For once Draco, I actually agree with you."

Chapter 4: A Santuary Invaded

Hermione forced herself not to cry as realization hit her. Blaise didn't love her, she now had no friends, and on top of it all Parvati was probably spreading rumors about her. She had no one she could call on, no one to save her from this undeniable pain in her heart. She couldn't talk to her parents about her love life because they had always told her that she couldn't date until she was out of college and had a good stable job. She had always agreed with that philosophy and was now wondering why she didn't stick with it when she needed it most. She also couldn't talk to Ginny, her best friend, about her situation, because Ginny was part of the whole thing. How was Hermione to explain to her that Blaise forced Draco to put an arousal spell on her and she was having sex with her Harry and Lavender because of it? It would hurt them so much. Hermione got sick when she even thought about it. She didn't like girls that way and Harry was her best friend. The only person she could think to tell was Ron but he wouldn't understand this. He couldn't understand his own emotions let alone a hormonal teenage girl who felt like her life had fallen apart in a matter of hours.

After practically jogging the halls, her eyes still filled with unresolved tears, Hermione found herself at the library. This place always seemed to calm her nerves. She took a seat near the back, a place usually reserved for snogging madly without attracting the attention of a teacher or any other voyeurs for that matter but Hermione felt the complete silence of the secluded area comforting especially after the drama of the past few days.

For a few very satisfying minutes of doing what she loved best -- studying -- Hermione actually felt like things were back to normal. Her main priority was the same as it had always been -- her beloved books. She smiled to herself while reading a very interesting passage about the effects that un-planted dander roots had on the brain. She contentedly wiped all the tears from her eyes and actually felt her body relax for the first time in days. Yes, Hermione was completely at peace until --

"Hermione," someone shouted from the far end of the library.

'Oh god,' Hermione thought to herself. 'What could possibly have happened now?'

After only a second or two of waiting, Hermione heard hurried footsteps heading nearer her.

'If that's Draco and Blaise, I swear, I'll --'

"Hermione," the voice said again as she was attacked in a huge embrace of red hair.

"Ron," Hermione said, so happy to see her friend again. Then, she saw, standing off to the side, hidden in shadow, was Harry.

Hermione's attention was suddenly throttled away from the emerald-eyed boy who looked about as somber as she felt and back to Ron as he practically yelled "Hermione, where have you been?" with a mixture of worry and jubilation on his freckly face.

Hermione felt like she hadn't seen her two best friends in ages even though it had only been two days. She realized with a small twinge of guilt that she missed them dearly. She vowed to herself to never abandon them again. 'Especially for something as trivial as two Slytherins,' she thought.

Putting all the thoughts and complications of late to the back of her mind, Hermione put on the best smile she could under the current circumstances and said "I'm so sorry, Ron. I know I haven't been around. Studying for these N.E.W.T.s has been all that's consuming me lately but I don't think it would hurt to take a little break." She looked into Ron's light blue eyes and found, to her relief, that he believed her.

"'Mione, you couldn't have just been studying," said Ron with a knowing look on his face and for one painstaking moment, Hermione thought that she had misread Ron's accepting expression and that Harry had told him all about what had happened.

"W--what do you mean," Hermione asked, a slight tremor to her voice.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about! You told off Parvati Patil in front of everyone," Ron said as though she was his first born child and had just made him the proudest father in the world by telling someone off.

"Oh," Hermione said, relief filling her as she ushered them back to come sit where she had just been trying to study a few minutes before. If she was going to tell them this story, she did not want Madam Pince, who thought very highly of her, or anyone else for that matter, to hear what they were talking about.

As she sat down, Hermione looked up at both of them. She still wasn't sure how Harry felt about talking to her after what had happened. He wasn't smiling up at her like Ron was but he wasn't looking as though he was upset with her either.

"So, what happened," asked Ron, grinning manically.

Hermione then realized with a jolt that in order to tell them the story, she would have to go into what had happened with Harry, Ginny, and Lavender and then she would have to explain why she left which brought the whole story of Malfoy and Blaise into the mix. Her want to be truthful to her friends was battling fiercely with her need to forget everything that had happened.

Hermione then looked up into Harry's eyes. He looked a bit depressed, yet he seemed to always be looking that way these days. He was still on his hunt for the Horcruxes and still managing to keep up with his schoolwork. Hermione knew that he was constantly battling with the fact that everyone in the wizarding world was in danger and that it was up to him to save them all. She knew that it was an enormous burden to carry and she couldn't help feel that she had somehow made it worse by hurting Harry's feelings on top of it all.

He then looked up at her too. He bottle-green eyes shone in the darkness that was the back of the library. He looked resolute as though whatever she had to tell him, he was ready for it. It was that, more than anything, that compelled her to tell them everything. They deserved at least that.

Hermione sighed. "Well, these past few months after coming back to school, I've been feeling a bit...well, sexually frustrated..." She looked up at them and saw that Harry was scowling and Ron was looking completely flabbergasted. She continued on with her story before she lost her nerve.

"I've been having feelings for this boy," she stated and immediately regretted it when Harry looked up at her as though he saw her in a whole new light. She internally slapped herself when she had the guts to say "who's in Slytherin." At this both boys looked at her as if she had just told them she had decided to have a threesome with Dobby and the Giant Squid.

Ron's mouth opened in protest but she continued talking before he got a chance to say anything. "I thought that he was really nice and I thought that maybe I could make something of it. As you guys know, I've never had a boyfriend before and --"

"Wait, what about Victor Krum," Ron asked.

"Him and I never dated," said Hermione, sounding shocked that her best friends didn't know that her and Victor's relationship was completely platonic. "As if an International Quidditch player could ever want anything to do with me," Hermione snorted.

"He liked you, Hermione," Harry said. It was the first time he had spoken to her since they had sat down. "You have such low self-esteem! I don't understand it! Practically every guy in this school wants you, can't you see that," he said.

Hermione was stunned. For one, Harry was actually talking to her as though he didn't hate her and second, he had said every guy in the school wanted her.

After digesting that a little bit, Hermione began to laugh. She was laughing so hard that her face turned a the color of Ron's hair and she was clutching her side in pure mirth.

"Every guy in the school, Harry," she said once she had calmed down a little bit. "You're kidding, right? More like every guy in this school thinks I'm too much of a know-it-all, goody-two-shoes that they've come to believe I'm asexual," she said.

Harry looked at her, a bit shocked. "Hermione, it's true. Ever since you came back from sixth year, maybe even before that. I've talked to Seamus, Dean, Neville, they all think that your beautiful. I think that the only reason you've never been with anyone is because you're intimidating. I think guys try to pick a girl that's less intelligent than them so that they don't feel dominated. You're intelligent and beautiful, don't ever doubt that about yourself," he said, calming down a bit and looking slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks, Harry," she said, not meeting his eyes. "That was very nice of you."

'That was very nice of you,' the little voice in her head whispered. 'Hermione, why are you suddenly so nervous around your best friend?'

She blushed slightly and then gained back her composure. She looked up and saw that Harry was blushing almost as furiously as she and that Ron was looking between them as though they were mad.

"So anyway," she said, breaking the akward silence. "I started to like this boy and--". Hermione's speech was cut off once again.

"Who was it," asked Ron. "Do Harry and I know him?"

"Erm...," Hermione stammered. "I don't think so. His name is Blaise. Blaise Zabini," she said.

"Wait," said Ron. "Isn't that that bloke who's friends with Malfoy?" He sounded shocked and disgusted.

Hermione was about to say that he was not as bad as Malfoy but she stopped herself. Had she already forgotten what he had done to her?

"Yes, he's friends with Draco," Hermione said.

"Since when do you refer to him as Draco," Harry asked through gritted teeth.

"Look, will you two just stop interrupting me! It's hard enough as it is to tell you everything without you buggering me about every detail of it," she half shouted.

The both had the decency to look a bit guilty as she continued.

"Anyway," Hermione said, feeling aggravated "I thought I liked Blaise and I knew that he could never like me so I decided to go see Ginny. This was partially because of Parvati who had just shouted to half the Great Hall that she had sex with Blaise and I got a bit jealous but mostly because I had waited so long to do something about it. I knew that Ginny could help me out since she's had a lot of boyfriends in the past." Ron scowled at this. "I went to the Head Common Room to prepare where I ran into Malfoy. He insulted me as usual and then left. When I was done preparing, I went to the Gryffindor common room and--". Hermione suddenly stopped. She didn't know if Harry had told Ron what had happened yet. Harry seemed to know why she stopped speaking because he nodded as though to give her the signal that it was okay to tell what had happened. She looked at Ron resolutely. She had been hoping that Harry had already told Ron of the situation so that she would not have to relive all of it, but apparently he hadn't.

"I then went up to the dormitories to see Ginny and I...I saw Harry and Ginny there and well, they seemed like they were busy so I...uh...thought I should leave but...erm...Harry said I could stay...and I kind of gave him the wrong idea, I suppose and...well, then I came to my senses and thought that I should leave and then--"

"Wait, WHAT," Ron shouted. 

"Quiet in the library," they heard Madam Pince shout from the other end of the hall.

"What," Ron said in the same scandalized tone yet in a whisper.

"Ron, listen," Harry said. "You know that Ginny and I are dating, right?"

"Well, yeah," said Ron.

"Well, when Hermione came up, Ginny and I were in bed together and I asked Hermione to join us," Harry said, putting emphasis on the word 'I' and giving Hermione a meaningful look from above Ron's shoulder. Hermione felt extremely guilty. Harry was taking the blame for everything when all of this was her fault. She was glad that he didn't mention Lavender being a part of it. She had been Ron's girlfriend and she didn't think he would take to well to the fact that she had dumped him for random shags.

"You asked her to join you," he said in a forced calm tone.

"Yes. Hermione wasn't sure but I convinced her and her, Ginny, and I kissed for a while until Hermione decided that that's not what she wanted and she left," he stated clearly to Ron who's mouth was agape with shock.

Before Ron had the chance to intervene, Hermione decided that she had better fill them in on the rest of the story.

"So, I decided to go back to the Head Common Room. When I came down, that's when I ran into Parvati. She was acting all superior and I just flew off the handle. I guess it was another effect of whatever was happening to me. That was the first sign I had that something was really wrong. The other thing was that I was feeling particularly...erm... aroused...and I never usually feel that way so I suspected that Malfoy had done something to me."

"I'll kill him," said Harry at once. He got up from the table and began to storm off when Hermione caught up with him and grabbed his arm to stop him from killing someone.

"Harry," she said soothingly, as he reluctantly followed her back to the table where Ron still sat, looking even more shocked than before at Harry's overprotective behavior. "just let me finish the story, okay."

As she let Harry fume for a second, she looked at Ron who seemed unable to comprehend anything more at the moment. 

When Harry's breathing started to sound more normal, Hermione said "So I went back to the Head Dorms and I saw -- well, it's not really important," she said. She didn't think it was really relevant to what she was trying to get out to explain to Harry and Ron that when she walked into Draco's dorm, he had been getting a blow job from a very sweaty Italian boy. Hermione flushed at the very thought.

"What did you see, Hermione," Harry asked, sounding resighnd to the fact that whatever it was would not be any good news.

"Um, well, when I walked into Draco's room...let's just say that the time when I walked in on you and Ginny wasn't the only time I caught two people in a compromising position that day," she said, not wanting to give to much about Draco's sexuality away in case she was wrong. After all, Blaise had told her that he had needed to pay Draco to get him in bed.

"Oh," said Harry in understanding. "Yeah, Ron and I really don't want to hear about that," said Harry, his disgust evident.

Hermione sighed with relief. "Well, after that, it gets pretty complicated," she said.

"Hermione, please tell me that when you jumped in bed with me and Ginny was the only time you joined in on the action," Harry pleaded, looking terrified that she might tell him otherwise.

"Oh, of course," Hermione said, sounding a bit scandalized. "I would never do that. See, that's what I'm getting to. I didn't get in bed with you and Ginny of my own accord, someone helped it along. You see, I thought that Draco had put some sort of spell on me" Harry twitched "and I went to confront him about it. He admitted that he did but that's not all he admitted."

Now the both of them looked interested.

"Draco told me that Blaise loved me," Hermione said, cringing at the memory. "I was really confused so I snuck out and went to bed. When I woke up, Blaise told me everything."

"Blaise," said Ron. "How did you talk to him? I thought that you were in the Head Common Room and you said you came straight down here to the library. Was he in the common room too," he asked, bewildered.

Hermione had hoped that neither of them would notice Blaise' sudden appearance in the common room. She figured that they would be to focused on what he said to wonder about how he had gotten there but she supposed that she had underestimated their intelligence.

"Well, erm, I'm guessing Draco told Blaise about his confession to me and he came by. They are friends after all," she said akwardly.

"Hermione, we've been your friends for six years now, don't you think we know when you're lying," Harry asked incredulously. Hermione sighed. She knew that she would have to get it all out in the end.

"Your right, Harry. The reason Blaise was in the common room was because he was the one that I caught Draco with the night before," she said, not daring to look up to see their reactions. Of course, she didn't do anything to cause the situation and she didn't even know why she was lying about it, she just supposed that things were complicated enough already without Harry and Ron spreading rumors about Blaise and Draco.

After a few moments of silence, Ron said "Malfoy's gay!"

Then they all heard harsh footsteps banging their way towards them from across the marble floor of the library. "I said to be quiet in the library," said the vulture-like form of the strict librarian "and I meant it! If I hear a yelling coming from this direction again, all of you will be out of here! You would be out already had it not been that I know Ms. Granger to never disobey school rules. I'm disappointed in you, Hermione," Madam Pince said as she walked the long distance back to her desk.

"Ron, you really do need to learn to control yourself," Hermione said irritably. Ron blushed.

"Hermione, if Blaise was with Malfoy, how do you figure that he loves you," Harry asked, seeming completely unperturbed by the sudden disruption.

"I'm getting to that, Harry," Hermione said with yet another sigh. "As I was saying, Blaise explained everything to me."

She told them the story about how Blaise had asked Draco to help him get her alone and how the plan backfired and how Blaise had used his and Draco's situation to seduce Hermione. She left out the part about Draco's childhood and how Blaise and Draco had become friends. It did not seem relevant and she also found that a part of her wanted to keep that information a secret, a sort of comfort for when she was feeling sad. She didn't know how it could possibly make her feel any better, knowing how the two boys had come to be, but it did.

When Hermione had finished, both boys looked upset. She knew she had made a huge mistake to ever trust the two Slytherins but she didn't need them telling her so. She had already learned from it. It was not like she was unintelligent.

"'Mione, I'm sorry for what happened to you," said Ron. "Malfoy is such a git," Ron said, trying to smile at her and scowl at the thought of Malfoy at the same time which resulted in a kind of loopy grin that made Hermione smile.

"Hermione," Harry said in a light tone that Hermione was completely unprepared for. "I'm sorry that I was angry at you for leaving. I had no idea," he said as he leaned over to rap her in his arms. Hermione felt complete and utter relief for the first time in what felt like forever. She had gotten all of her worries off her shoulders for a while and her friends didn't hate her. She thought that maybe everything could go back to normal until --

"Hermione," someone shouted from outside of the bookshelf covering their table. Hermione immediately knew who it was. "What do you want, Draco," Hermione asked, sounding utterly exasperated. For the second time that day she felt that the little bubble of relief that had surged through her a second ago had just popped.

Draco's POV

"I should go talk to her," said Blaise standing up from the step that he had currently been resting on. "I didn't want it to happen like this!"

Draco looked up at him. He felt bad for his friend. Blaise had just lost the girl that he loved because he let his emotions take hold of him. Draco never let his emotions get to him. He had learned to hide everything he felt from his father. 'A lot of good that did,' Draco thought to himself. 'Now the git's locked in Azkaban'.

Of course Draco could not feel too sorry for the brunette boy. After all, Draco had loved Hermione first. Blaise had had no right whatsoever to take her even if it looked as though he was finished. He admitted that he still wanted Hermione and Blaise or no Blaise, he would get her.

"No Blaise. If you talk to her right after she's just stormed out, it will upset her more than she already is. You have to give it some time," he said.

Draco had a lot of experience with women. Once, his now ex-girlfriend, Pansy had caught him with Daphne Greengrass from Ravenclaw. She had left his room crying and pouting and screaming at the top of her lungs. Draco had had to throw Daphne out and wait for about a half an hour. Then he would go talk to Pansy by which time she would have calmed down and Draco could convince her that he did not love the other girl but her alone, even if it wasn't true and then everything would go back to normal. Of course, Draco also knew that Hermione was no ordinary girl and that these same tactics would most likely not work on her strong defenses but he didn't tell Blaise so. He was too worried about what Hermione thought of him at the moment to really pay attention to Blaise' ramblings.

Blaise growled in frustration. "I can't wait to talk to her," he said through gritted teeth. "I need to talk to her now!"

"You know, if your so worried about her being comforted right away, why don't I go talk to her," Draco offered. He could use as much time as possible with the witch if he wanted to win her heart.

"I don't know, Draco, what if you suddenly get that little thing called 'jealousy' again and bad mouth me behind my back while you use the time with her to your own advantage," said Blaise, smirking. Draco wasn't surprised. The two knew each other so well by now that they could almost always predict what the other was thinking and now was no exception.

Draco laughed as he said "I promise Blaise, I will not bad mouth you but I do not promise to not use the time to my advantage. This is a game after all and you blew your chance. I think it's my turn. Besides, Malfoys don't get jealous," he said with an equally smug smirk planted on his face. Blaise looked resigned.

"Okay, Drake," Blaise said with a sigh "as long as you promise to put in a good word." Blaise winked and went back up to Draco's room where Draco was sure he would throw some of his prize possessions around a bit to let off her tension.

"Thanks, Blaise," he said quietly to himself when he was already out in the corridor leading to the library, where he knew she would be. "You pretty much just forfeited any chance you ever had with her."

Hermione's POV

"Hermione," the voice shouted again, a little louder this time.

Hermione would have known that drawl of a voice anywhere. It had been the one tormenting her for the past six years, after all.

As Draco drew out of the shadows, looking at Harry and Ron as though they were some sort of scum he found at the bottom of his bath tub, Hermione heard more footsteps drawing near.

"I told you to be quiet! This is a library, not a chatter convention! Now, OUT, all of you," Madam Pince said, glaring at Draco.

Draco looked startled for a moment before Hermione grabbed his arm and drug him out of the library folowed by a very disgruntled looking Harry and Ron.

When they reached the corridor outside, Hermione said "Draco, anything that has happened in the past couple day is over with. I'm going to forget about you -- about Blaise -- and I'm going to go back to living a normal life! Okay?"

Draco glared at Harry and Ron who were listening in before replying. "Nothing is that easy, Granger. Besides, I just came here to apologize. I just wanted to say that I was sorry for agreeing to Blaise' plan and putting that hex on you. I know I shouldn't have done it but Blaise is my friend and I just wanted to help him," he said, pouting.

Hermione was taken aback. First of all, she had not expected either of them to come and follow her. Sure, she expected them to remark about it when they next met which would probably be in the halls or in class, but never did she expect either of them to actually approach her. Second of all, if they did talk about this whole thing, she would never have expected more than snide remarks about how she fell for everything from the two Slytherins. Especially the particularly evil one standing right in front of her. Him actually apologizing made forgetting everything so much more complicated.

"Don't even try to apologize to her, you git," said Ron unexpectedly.

Draco glared daggers at Ron. "I'll do what I like, Weasley," he snarled.

Hermione sensing a fight and not wanting to get in any more trouble than she already was, decided to suggest they move their fight somewhere more private. They all agreed. All the way up to the Head Common doom, Draco and Ron bickered and Hermione had a feeling that she was in for another catastrophic day.

A/N: Ooh, what's gonna happen in the common room? There are sooo many possibilties. Stick around to find out! I know that I promised sex in this chap but we still have to get some stuff straight between the three before they can jump in the sack and I didn't realize how long it would take for Hermione to explain everything to Harry and Ron. They really are dunderheads, aren't they? I promise that the next chapter will be chalk full of smut, so don't fear! Please review and tell me what you thought!


	5. Road To Perdition

As usual, Hermione was completely correct in her assumption.

On the way up the stairs, the not-so-cheerful group of five met up with an even less cheerful group of two.

Strutting up that stairs in all her Indian glory was Parvati Patil and her ditzy blonde friend, Lavender Brown. Parvati smiled at Blaise happily but, as though she hadn't noticed his company as he was walking along the hall, glared at those standing around him, finally letting her gaze fall upon Hermione, making a tutting sound, just audible.

Lavender stood by her side, her hands on her hips and glaring at them in the same manner but her gaze instead, fell upon Ron who blushed furiously when he saw where she was looking. She winked at him suggestively and licked her upper lip. Hermione felt a strong urge to laugh but suppressed it, wondering if the girl could possibly be any more obvious.

"Blaise," Parvati said finally in a voice reeking with false cheerfulness. Still glaring daggers at Hermione, she continued, "what are you doing, dear? I thought we were going to meet for lunch."

Hermione felt anger welling up inside of her. How could this girl be so possessive of someone that she was _forced_ to marry? Shouldn't she be upset that she didn't get a choice in the matter?

Blaise scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Well, it's only 10:00 and I'm busy right now so--," Blaise tried.

"So what? You thought that you'd try to avoid me by hanging put with _them_," Parvati said nastily, running her eyes once again over Harry, Ron, and Hermione disapprovingly.

"They," he said in a voice of forced calm, "are my friends."

At this Ron coughed very loudly and Harry was forced to kick him which made him yowl even louder. Draco, Hermione saw, was standing back from the group completely, looking uninterested. She was sure, if there had been a furniture of a sort, he would have sprawled upon it lazily, looking at the bickering group in nonchalant contempt.

Parvati made a hissing sound in the back of her throat.

"Well, then I suppose your _friends_ won't mind if I accompany you on your little walk," she said, all the falsity in voice vanishing in an instant and replaced instead by malice so deep that Hermione could almost taste it.

Hermione sighed deeply.

"By all means, Parvati, accompany us. It's not like you'll see much of Blaise any other time."

Parvati's nostrils flared and Lavender looked away from Ron long enough to give her a scowl.

"You should hold your tongue, Mudblood," Parvati spat.

"Save it for the Slytherins," Hermione spat back.

"See," Parvati said, looking around to Draco and Blaise. "She thinks so much of you that all she can associate you with is insults!"

"She has a right to do so," said Harry, whose eyes had burst to flame when Parvati had insulted Hermione's blood line. "Since when does a Gryffindor stand up for scum like that," Harry nodded his head toward Draco.

"Since," said Parvati, her voice becoming shrill "I got engaged to 'scum like that'." She held out her hand tantalizingly, giving them all a clear view of the large diamond upon her finger, shining it in the light pouring through the window and reflecting the luminescence onto Hermione's furious face.

"Potter," Draco said suddenly from behind them. Harry turned. "Whose side are you bloody on?"

"Not yours," said Harry simply.

Draco shook his head in disbelief.

Hermione shut her eyes, trying to keep the light of the very large engagement ring out of her eyes. When she couldn't stand it any more, she pounced.

Parvati was never expecting it.

Before anyone knew what was happening, Hermione was on top of Parvati, punching every bit of her that she could reach. Soon however, Ron and Blaise were able to drag her off, which was no easy feat considering that Hermione's hair was firmly clamped inside of one of Parvati's hands.

As soon as Hermione had settled down (well, as settled down as she could be within the confines of Blaise's arms, the only thing stopping her from pummeling the girl in front of her), Lavender went to see if Parvati was all right and Harry, Hermione.

Hermione eventually shoed them all off and turned to the two girls in front of her, all four boys behind her ready to grab her in case she lost control again.

"You know what Parvati, girls like you aren't even worth fighting with. You'll always be the same; only caring about your bloody hair and makeup, always checking over your shoulder to see which guy saw you flip your hair. If you weren't a whore, I'd have the decency to call you pathetic," Hermione growled.

Lavender gasped and Ron, Harry, and Blaise all looked at Hermione with the same shock. Draco, however was looking quite impressed.

When Parvati finally came out of her shock, she began "Why you little-- ," but was unable to finish because an owl had just flown onto Hermione's shoulder through the open window. Hermione looked at it, slightly surprised. When she realized that it was not that unusual to have an owl fly through the window of a magical school, Hermione finally untied the envelope from the tawny's leg.

_Saved by the owl_, Hermione couldn't help herself from thinking.

All eyes were on her as she opened the letter and the owl took flight again through the same window. As she scanned the sheet, her eyes became wide.

"Who's it from," Harry asked from behind her, making her jump a little.

"M--my parents."

Hermione was now sitting in the Head Common Room, glaring furiously at the letter before her while Harry, Ron, and Draco sat in an uncomfortable silence. Hermione had reluctantly agreed for Blaise to stay behind and sort out Parvati and Lavender.

All having read the letter, no one was sure what to say. Hermione didn't know how her parents could have known about what had been happening over the past few weeks. Perhaps Dumbledore had seen her strange behavior and alerted them or perhaps they were spying on her. Either way, she was furious. Why didn't people like bloody _Parvati_ get in trouble for being unruly? This was the first time in Hermione's life that she had ever acted uncharacteristic of the Head Girl that she was and she was getting scolded like she had just joined The United Prostitutes of Britain! She did understand her parents concern but she _was_ seventeen! Didn't they think that she could take care of herself?

Hermione knew that neither Draco, Harry, or Ron (well, that was debatable)'s parents were this overprotective so she understood when none of them could really relate to her situation.

After what seemed like hours, Draco finally broke the silence.

"So," he said "weren't we supposed to be coming up here to continue our fight?"

"Hu," Hermione stated. "Oh yeah. Um...what exactly was it that we were fighting about?"

"Good question," Ron said.

"Are you all bonkers," Harry said suddenly. "How could you forget that what Malfoy and Zabini did to you so quickly, Hermione?"

"Oh. That," she said, suppressing a sigh.

"_Oh, that?_ Is that all you have to say after--," Harry started but Draco cut him off.

"There's nothing left to say, Potter. What happened happened. We apologized--"

"Correction, _Blaise_ apologized. Last I remember, _you_ didn't. Not that I expected you to or anything."

"Fine, Granger. I'm sorry," Draco said. And for once, there wasn't a sarcastic back tone to his voice.

She looked up into his brilliantly silver eyes, always so cold and unfeeling, they now seemed to regretful and sincere. They no longer hid the emotions that Draco had spent all his life trying to cover up and it startled Hermione when she realized that all of the pent up sincerity behind his eyes was directed at her.

"Don't tell me you're going to forgive him just like that, Hermione," Harry said. "He hurt you just like he always does and he's going to get away with it _just like he always does_. It's bloody unfair that he can do and say all of these hurtful things to you for _six_ years and you're going to forgive him! I know you, Hermione. I know how you can't help but be nice to people but he doesn't deserve this even if he was sorry, which I'm sure he's not."

"You're so typical, Potter. You trust everyone around you and they end up turning on you yet when someone really is sincere, you throw it in their face," Malfoy said, his eyes now clouded and unsure of what they wanted to say once again.

"Harry, you're right," Hermione said.

"He is," Draco asked uncertainly.

"Yes, he is," said Hermione. "Draco, I know that you _are_ telling the truth about being sorry but that still doesn't make everything okay. You bent human will. That's just completely unforgivable. You can't just make it go away with a word. You have to prove it to me. And before you say something I just want to say that I know you don't have to. For most of my time here at Hogwarts, we've always been so different, always shouting pointless insults at one another that never solve anything. But just this once, I want to forget all that's happened and try to start over. Just know that I am being very lenient after what you and Blaise did. Know that the only reason I'm giving you a second chance is because of the reason you did it."

At this, Draco looked unashamedly guilty.

"But, if you don't want to," Hermione continued, "we can just go back to being enemies and this whole arousal spell thing will just be another bump in our road to perdition."

"No," Draco said immediately. "I want to prove to you that I'm sorry. We're in our last year and I don't want to leave knowing that I made your life miserable. I want to prove it," he said again.

Hermione smiled. "That means a lot to me."

Ron, obviously sensing the tension between the two said "Harry, come on, let's give them some privacy."

"No," Harry shouted. "I won't let you give up your life, Hermione. He's just going to hurt you again, like he always does!"

"If he hurts me, I will learn from my mistakes and never have anything to do with him or Blaise ever again. But until then, I'm giving them a chance. Everyone deserves a second chance, Harry," Hermione said, quietly blushing.

"A sec-- Hermione, these guys are on their eightieth chance! We're your friends, we know what's best for you," Harry continued.

"Harry, last time I checked, you're the only one that seems to have a problem with this," Hermione said.

"She's right Harry," Ron announced. "If she wants to give Malfoy a second chance, let her. We are her friends but we have to draw the line with our control over what she does somewhere. She's a smart witch, Harry and I trust her."

Hermione smiled warmly at Ron.

"Even if it is Malfoy," Ron added.

Hermione sighed once again.

"All right you guys, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak alone with Mal--Draco. We have prefect schedules to arrange," she said with finality.

Ron got up from his chair but Harry remained planted.

"Come on, Harry," Ron practically pleaded. "I think we've overstayed our welcome."

Harry reluctantly got up and looked from Hermione to Ron as though they were both mad.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Hermione," Harry said darkly. Realizing his tone, he quickly added "and if something happens, just know that Gryffindor tower is always open to you."

"I'll be fine, Harry," she reassured as they finally got up from their seats and made their way to the door.

As soon as the soft sound of the portrait whole closing behind Harry and Ron could be heard, Hermione found herself blushing in a room alone with the boy that could so easily turn her into water with a single look. But, to Hermione's surprise, Draco did not look at her with that knowing expression she had already so unwillingly resigned herself to; he just sat there, looking just as uncomfortable as she if not more.

Finally, seeming to come to himself in the fact 'Malfoy's don't blush', he looked up at her uncertainly from across the coffee table that separated them and said "What happens now?"

It was barely a whisper but Hermone heard it clearly. She also heard the same scared little boy that Blaise had told her of, earlier that day, in his tone.

Hermione looked at him, trying again to decipher what all that clouded mist of gray and silver in this boy's eyes really meant.

Hearing the sheer poetic-ness of this statement in her head, Hermione thought, _Wow. Maybe girls really are to analytical._

"From this moment on, there are going to be some rules," she said firmly. She saw his shocked look at her quiet statement that seemed an outburst from the soft tone of his words and their stares only a moment ago and continued in the same demanding demeanor. "If you want to prove to me that you are truly sorry for your actions as of last night and all of the other cases in which you have rendered me speechless from the sheer rudeness of you intentions, then you will have to abide by the following: you can no longer call me the 'M' word, you must use proper manners when addressing me; no vulgarity or obscenities can be derived from any word that come out of your mouth, you can no longer patronize my friends, or any of the Gryffindors for that matter, and finally, no conspiring with Blaise or any other accomplice of how to 'get me into bed' or seduce me in any other way."

When Hermione finished, she blushed even more than before. She had not expected to blurt out the list of formal rules that she had drawn out years ago just incase Malfoy or any of her other enemies had ever decided to apologize to her. It seems that Draco had not expected it either. The look of confusion and shock on his normally arrogant and haughty face was absolutely priceless.

Still looking a bit taken and now, with a smirk firmly planted on his thin lips, he said "What, no opening doors and curtseying?"

Hermione smiled evilly.

"I would have thought that part would have been obvious."

Draco laughed. Of course, Hermione had heard him laugh before over at the other end of the Great Hall but she had never been subject to it. Well, subject to a happy laugh anyway. She had been subject to his taunting laugh time and again. Disregarding this, she stood and walked over to where Draco was sitting on the forest green couch.

"You can start," she said, sitting down next to him "by agreeing to be my friend."

Draco stopped laughing. He looked at her and Hermione realized with a feeling of dread, how very close they were.

"Hermione, before I start proving myself to you, can I do something? Just one last thing that I wouldn't be able to do under the terms and conditions," Draco asked politely.

"Erm... All right, I suppose one last thing couldn't hurt," she said tentatively.

Draco smiled triumphantly.

Seeing this, Hermione added quickly "_unless_ it is offensive or hateful."

"Don't worry," Draco said, "I don't think you'll find it that way," as he bent down and kissed her on the mouth.

All the halls of Hogwarts were filled with happy students, wandering from place to place, happy for the weekend and the comforting walls that the castle provided against the raging blizzard outside. It was a bit early for snow in November, a complete opposite of the moods of the children, so eager to lay out upon the sunny grass for the last bit of fall. But for one Harry Potter, the weather was just right. The ice that could be seen is his eyes as he walked along the corridors leading back up to Gryffindor tower was radiating so heavily that all who crossed his path seem to be blasted by the subzero hatred, making their friends wonder if perhaps the harsh weather had had ill effect.

"I don't get why you're not as worried about this as I am," Harry said, practically stomping along the stairway.

"I am worried about her, mate. I just think it's time she makes her own decisions. She's seventeen years old and she's never had a boyfriend. I think it's time she stops reading about life and starts experiencing it," Ron replied, purposefully avoiding Harry's line of vision.

"Oh and this coming from the one who didn't want her dating Victor Krum just because I was against him in the Triwizard Tournament. And now she's with the one guy that you _should_ be worried about and you pass off on it like it's no big deal!"

"Harry, when I didn't want Hermione to date Victor, I was a child. A child with stupid feelings that I knew would never be returned. I grew up. I think it's time you did as well," Ron said in a manner very unlike his own.

"Grow up? You're asking me to grow up when I've been through more than any of you? Why should I be punished for caring about my friend," Harry yelled, the hurt that he felt from Ron's statement evident in his tone.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean it that way. All I'm saying is that Hermione deserves a bit of freedom. She's smart--," Ron tried.

"Not about things like this! She's never had to deal with anything like this," Harry interrupted.

"Everyone's got to start somewhere, don't they? It's not like we knew anything about love when we first got into relationships, is it," Ron said.

Harry paused in his stampeded up the stairs and turned to face Ron.

"You think she's in love," he said quietly.

"I don't know," Ron said in the same whisper. "but if she is, we should be happy for her."

"You don't get it, Ron," Harry said, having turned around and storming back up where he had started. "Malfoy is a _Death Eater_! Aren't you one bit worried that his motives are something more than _love_? And even if he weren't, he'd only be trying to be with her to get in her god damn pants," he said, scaring a few first years with his choice of words.

"But didn't you see the way she was looking at him? I think he really has changed Harry and I think Hermione knows more about that than she's letting on. She wouldn't have forgiven him if nothing had happened between them," Ron said.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Harry snarled as they reached the portrait hole and climbed into the familiar dormitory.

"You know, I don't think Malfoy's the only one who's changed," Ron said, causing Harry to turn around once again.

"What do you mean," he asked accusingly.

"Well, it's just that ever since that 'thing' happened with you and Hermione, you seemed to be acting differently. One night you were telling me what I'm telling you now and now you're acting as though you're life's mission is to protect Hermione," Ron said slowly, hoping not to push Harry to the boiling point once again.

"This conversation is going nowhere, Ron. I'm going to bed."

"At ten the morning," Ron asked but the door to their dormitories had already been slammed shut.

Hermione was in shock and the kiss to chaste for her to have enjoyed it. She knew that she should have expected something like this from him and found herself more shocked by the fact that he hadn't ravished her mouth than the fact that he actually kissed her.

"We can't have any more of that," Hermione said, still a bit flustered.

"I know," Draco said, looking at her mischievously. "That's why I did it _before_ we started to be friends.

Hermione blushed. "As for this being friends business, you do realize that people aren't going to understand. Hell, _I_ don't even understand. I know you apologized but forgive me if becoming friends with my life-long enemy doesn't seem a bit surreal."

"Well, Hermione, some things just happen like that. Suddenly and permanently," Draco said with what sounded like a personal sorrow. It made Hermione wonder whether or not Draco really had taken the Dark Mark.

"Yes well, either way, I'm happy it has happened," she said, smiling.

"As am I," he said, looking at her as though she made him happier than anything else could which in turn really did make her happier than she had ever felt.

Without thinking about what she was doing, Hermione leaned in to kiss him. however, just as their lips were about to meet, a bell rang off in the distance and she snapped out of the moment. Wondering if perhaps it was possible for life to go on hold for an hour or so, she reluctantly said "We had better head down to lunch. I need to clear my head a bit. I'll see you after then, all right?"

"Yeah all right," Draco said, not bothering to hide his disappointment as he gathered himself off of the couch. "You promise to come right back here after lunch," he said.

Hermione smiled again, realizing that she had smiled more today than she had in a very long time. "Yes, I promise. But, don't think that this whole friends thing gets you off of your duties."

Draco looked confused for a minute but then looked at where he was standing and hung his head as he curtsied her out the door.

Lunch was an interesting affair to say the least. Hermione sat with Ron and Harry decided to brush off both of them as he sat at the other end with a bunch of pleased looking fourth years who Hermione could tell had never been in Harry's presence. That combined with Draco on the other side of the hall, winking at her at every given opportunity and Blaise and Parvati not there was enough to make Hermione a giant ball of nerves, waiting to go off at any second.

Trying to calm herself a bit, Hermione said to Ron "So it looks like he's mad at the both of us. What was it that you did?"

"Tried to stop him from going back after you," Ron said, digging into his shepherd's pie and not really paying attention to much else.

"Thanks for that," Hermione said gratefully.

"No problem," Ron said, looking up long enough to give her a smile with a mouth full of potato.

As the plates magically began to clean themselves and the students began getting up, Dumbledore stood from his seat and cleared his throat, leaving all those who had gotten up, plant their butts firmly back in their seats.

"I'm sure that your parents would not wish me to tell you this but I think it is all of our best interests that I say it. "A threat has been placed over our school," gasps were heard all around the hall and Hermione thought that she was wrong in thinking that this lunch could get any worse.

"As you all know, we are in a war. No matter what side of that war you choose to be on," he said, directing his gaze to the Slytherin table, "I want you all to be safe. If we are not able to find a way to stop these attacks from happening, I'm afraid that I will have no choice but to close the school."

The room was silent. Hermione saw that a girl at the Hufflepuff table actually had tears streaming down her face.

_What if I never see them again_, Hermione thought, not referring to Ron and Harry who she could see when she pleased but to Draco and Blaise.

"However, in light of these dark times, I have devised a method of cheering everyone up. As a last sentiment in the case that the school is closed, I have made arrangements for a costume ball to be held tomorrow evening for the entire school. and because of the fact that this school's purpose is to educate it's beloved students and that we hope to do that no matter who tries to break our morale, the ball will be held in the library," Dumbledore finished, smiling ay his students as though expecting them to look overjoyed at this.

As the students finally gathered up their things and made for the door, Harry came up to Hermione from behind and said in a voice of forced calm "you've still got your coin from the D.A., right?"

Startled, she said "Yes, I've still got it."

"Good. Check it regularly. We're back in business," Harry said as he headed past her and began heading on a route Hermione knew led to the Room of Requirement.

As Ron caught up with her, Hermione was beginning to feel as though her life had reached a standstill. The war was coming. She knew it would but it was so soon. Not even halfway through the year. For some reason, she had it set in her mind that the war would occur right at the end of the year and when it was over, she would go back home and everything would be normal. That perception had just been shattered with a contemptuous hand and there was no going back.

"What did he say to you," Ron asked.

"He said that he was starting up the D.A. again. Personally, I think it's a very good idea. Far from teaching people how to fight, I think it will make the fact that we're really going to face this very real to a lot of people," she said.

"You're right, it is a good idea. I hope he's all right to lead it though. He's been acting very oddly lately," he said.

"Don't worry. When it comes to Voldemort, Harry isn't distracted," Hermione said, trying to convince herself more than Ron. To her surprise, Ron did not flinch at the name as he had only last week. She was beginning to realize that Harry wasn't the only one who had changed. She was hoping that Ron's newfound maturity was for the better.

As Hermione and Ron parted ways for their separate common rooms, Hermione met up with Blaise who, unfortunately, was accompanied by Parvati.

"Missed you at lunch," Hermione said, uncertain of what Blaise's company meant.

"Yeah, I had told Parvati I'd have lunch with her," he said as Parvati smirked maliciously.

"Right. So, did you hear about what Dumbledore said? About clo--," Hermione said but Parvati cut her off.

"Yeah, we heard all right. Draco told us. It's just too bad, isn't it? But, little-miss-perfect shouldn't get to get everything she wants anyway," Parvati said.

"What are you on about," Hermione said, afraid that she would not like the answer.

"What, did you think that he'd leave his master for _you_," she said as she cackled in a way that chilled Hemione's blood.

"W--what," Hermione asked, directing this at Blaise.

Blaise looked down at the floor as he said "That's why I wanted to talk to you, Hermione. I'm fighting for Voldemort."

Leaving the bushy-haired girl in complete and total shock, the couple walked away.

A/N: I'm incredibly sorry for the amount of time that it took me to get this up to you. I've been swamped with everything from schoolwork to sickness to lack of a beta and I'm very happy to be up and writing again. And I'm very sorry for the lack of smut in this chapter, it is coming so hold your dragons, ladies!

Speaking of beta's, if you are interested, I need one for this story and for Inter-House Cooperation. You can email me at and I can get back to you. All help is appreciated!

As for this chapter, you can probably tell that it's a little less emotional and a lot more plot-heavy. And that's because...drumroll, please... this story is actually going to have plot! Don't worry, though. I promise I won't let it overshadow the Hermione/Draco/Blaiseness :)

And you can bet that the next chapter will be up and ready _much_ sooner than this one. And as always, feedback is welcome if not necessary for the completion of this story. I love all my reviewers and each and every one is appreciated beyond any recognition I could ever give you. Thanks for the support and keep it coming!


	6. Sweet, Sweet Lime

Disclaimer: None of these characters or places are mine. If they were, I'd be vactioning in Egypt, eating sweet, sweet limes instead of talking to you :D

Chapter 6: Sweet, Sweet Lime

Hermione and Ron collided, mid-temper tantrum stomp.

Ron was less upset than he was confused. He had been Harry's best friend ever since they started at Hogwarts and it seemed as though a very long, and quite satisfying chapter in his life was coming to a not-so-satisfying end. Then there was Hermione who, even though he defended her decisions, had changed in his eyes. It wasn't just the fact that she had started hanging out with Malfoy, it was the fact that the old Hermione, the one he knew and even loved at one point, seemed to be dissipating by the day. Ron wondered, in this upturned world, if his friends were going to start paying attention to i his /i life. i He /i had changed too!

Hermione, however, was past shock and confusion at this point. After pacing the halls, wringing her hands, and even pulling out a bit of her hair, she was furious. i How /i could Blaise do this to her? She should have listened to Harry. All these goddamn Slytherins were going to hell after all!

Hermione and Ron both stumbled, seemingly surprised that any one dare enter their bubbles. Hermione looked up and saw her freckly faced best friend of six years and her anger fell away like a dead leaf in autumn. She threw her arms abruptly around him, tears that were fighting for air all day finally burst free and streamed down her face onto Ron's robe. Far from being a bit scared of the angry and confused little witch in front of him, Ron held her like he had nothing else left to hold and it was a while until either of them let go of the only security they had left.

"I'm sorry," Hermione muttered shyly now that she had composed herself.

"No, Hermione, I should be sorry," said Ron as he tried to get her to move off to the window sill so that the other students could get by. "I haven't been as good to you as I should have. I just let you go off and hang out with Malfoy and Zabini without even asking what happened or comforting you if you needed it. I should have also been more supportive."

Hermione started crying again.

"What is it," Ron asked, horrified that he had upset her again.

"It's Blaise! He's--he's-- oh Ron, I can't even say it," Hermione whined.

i Oh god /i , Ron thought, i please tell me he didn't find out about me and Harry! That was a one time thing! A /i one time i thing! /i 

"Ron, he-- Blaise has joined the Dark Lord!"

"WHAT!"

"I w--wanted to have lunch with him--but that bitch was there--with her bitchy good clothes--and that god damn ring! I HATE the way she walks, she's so-- well anyway, he came up to me and said-- he said he was with Mold--Voldemort and-- /i I don't know what to do! /i "

"Oh Hermione," Ron said softly, her bushy hair under his hands. "And here I am trying to be more lenient about them! I knew I should have sided with Harry! I thought they had changed--I really did," Ron said.

"I know, I thought so too. I'm so utterly i stupid /i ," Hermione said as she rammed her head repeatedly into the stone wall.

"Hey," Ron said as he dragged her away from her self-mutilation instrument and ushered her down the corridor, hoping that perhaps they could find a secluded classroom. Ron did NOT fancy going back up to the common room as Harry was there and Harry, with his outrageous behavior coupled with a distraught Hermione was a time-bomb.

Hermione was struggling now, smacking every inch of Ron as he half-dragged, half-carried her up the stone steps, smiling weakly at the flabbergasted onlookers. "Limb-Jerking Solution," he said as Hermione aimed another kick at Ron's crotch.

As they reached the library, Hermione finally calmed down a bit. That is, if you can consider taking out random books and beginning to talk to them calm. Ron had once had an uncle who went into shock when his Jeweled Tortoise of fifty years died; he never spoke English again.

"So, Mr. i Quidditch Through the Ages /i , I think I'm going to take you out again," Hermione was saying to a vibrant green book the size of a lynx, as Ron walked up to her cautiously. "Or maybe not. After all, I i did /i end up falling off of my broom in the end even after seven hours of reading..." without a more word spoken, Hermione flung the book as far away from her as possible, finally landing with a splash in Madame Pince's aquarium.

"OUT," was all they heard before both were ricocheted into the nearest wall from a well placed levitating charm and ran as fast as they could from the vicinity. Hermione giggled all the way.

"Hermione," Ron panted, as they found themselves on the landing in front of the hump-backed witch,"are you i drunk /i ?"

Hermione hiccuped loudly and said "How--hic--dare you make that accusation?" before bursting into another fit of giggles. That's when Ginny came by.

"I'm sick of you pretending that Draco is your son, old man! He will do as I say! Your job is to teach your students--"

"Along with giving them advice on what is right and" Dumbledore's light-blue eyes flashed "keeping other students safe."

Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had shown up at a quarter past nine and, in Lucius's case, had been badgering the Headmaster about the whereabouts of his son for the past hour and a half. Lucius had a face gone scarlet in rage but Narcissa seemed unperturbed by the goings on around her. Her eyes, once so alive at the height of her youth, seemed gaunt and dead, her clammy skin accenting the picture perfectly.

"At least tell me where he is! He's my god damn son and i you /i won't keep me away from him," Lucius shouted, a bit of spittle dirtying the portrait of poor Armando Dippet.

"That is where you are wrong, Lucius. If I feel one of my students is in danger, I shall protect him or her at all costs," Dumbledore said in whisper that could have knocked down a grown man. However, Lucius was not to be made a fool. He took out his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore's heart.

"Don't play games with me," Lucius said icily.

Dumbledore sighed idly. "You," he said "like your master, fail to realize that killing me will not help you in the slightest."

"Fine then! Avada Kedav--" The wand was knocked from the blonde man's fingers in mid-spell. Narcissa Malfoy, notorious Death Eater for Lord Voldemort for thirty years, pointed her own wand at her husband who fell to the floor in a wave of red light.

Face as red as her hair, Ginny stepped in front of them, eyes on her feet.

"Er--," Ginny said to the couple "Could I have a word with you, Hermione?"

"I don't think now is the greatest time to be talking to her, Gin. She's a little--" Ron ducked as Hermione tried hitting him with a handbag she had snatched from a passerby. "--out of it."

"Oh, well, I can come back later--"

"No," Hermione said firmly. She was sure he knew what this was about and if it wasn't handled quickly, Ginny might go on living in confusion pointlessly.

"Ron, you can let me go now! I told you, I'm not drunk," she giggled again "I just want i you /i 

to stop acting like you can take me wherever you please! Besides, Ginny and I need to discuss some things" Hermione said.

"Okay," Ron said weakly, a bit shocked at Hermione's abrupt change in behavior. As Ginny and Hermione walked down the corridor and up the stairs, it hit him.

i Uh oh /i , Ron thought. i This is about that 'thing'. Hermione's out of it and Ginny thinks that--! /i Ron sprinted after them in the hopes that he would not walk in on anything too hot--. i Well actually /i , Ron thought, i But no! Your sister's involved! /i 

As soon Hermione and Ginny walked up the stone steps leading to the Gryffindor Common Room, the red-haired girl pounced and Hermione was beneath her on the cold floor, a hot tongue pervading her mouth and small hands roaming her body. Hermione struggled and was finally able to push Ginny off of her. Unfortunately, at that very moment, Draco Malfoy came by.

"Get away from me," Hermione shouted at Draco, dusting of her skirt and forgetting about Ginny entirely. Draco looked taken aback as he stared at them both. Regaining himself however, he seemed to reexamine the situation.

"Granger, I had no idea that you went for pussy as well. This could turn out to be i very /i interesting," Draco said, eyeing her mussed appearance.

Ignoring his comment, Hermione said "I told you to leave me alone, you filthy traitor! And you're the reason Ginny did this, you know!" Hermione looked down at the scared little red-head in front of her as invisible tears fell down her face. "It was Draco that put an Arousal Spell on me and made me come and join you and Harry. I'm sorry, Gin, but I don't like you like that, nor Harry. I made a stupid decision and it made me betray my friends and now it seems as if I'm caught in that bind again. I should have listened to Harry," Hermione said, directing this last comment at Draco.

"At first I thought you'd just had a bit much to drink, Hermione. I saw you heading towards the kitchens so I followed you and one of the elves told me that you had downed two whole bottles of fire whiskey and then snuck back up. Now however, I'm wondering how on Earth alcohol could possibly make you hate me again so naturally I have to ask, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Stumbling a bit, partly due to intoxication, partly due to Draco's shouting, Hermione said "You know perfectly well what's going on! You heard that Voldemort's kicked it up a notch so you and Blaise think it fit to forget all of your promises and go right back to where you left off! I thought you had changed," Hermione sobbed as Ginny lay a comforting arm around her.

"Hermione," Draco said soothingly as he walked closer.

"Stay away from her," Ginny shouted as she fumbled for her wand. Draco stayed his ground.

"Just listen, Hermione," he said.

"Why should she? You've ruined her life," Ginny said as Hermione continued to sob into Ginny's shoulder.

"She can speak for herself, Weasley."

"Does it look like it, Malfoy? She's a mess!"

"Maybe I could comfort her if you wouldn't threaten to hex me every time I get close!"

"She doesn't need comfort from i you /i !"

"She doesn't know the whole truth!"

"I think she knows it better than you do!"

"Weasley!"

"Malfoy!"

"SHUT UP," came a shaking voice, "Both of you!" Hermione lifted her moist head from Ginny's shoulder and took a step forward.

"I don't want to hear i anything /i you've got to say to me. I'm tired of trusting people, I'm tired of trusting i myself /i ! I'm not going to let you do this to me again," Hermione said as she walked away.

Ginny sneered at him and followed Hermione down the corridor.

"Well, I suppose it can't get any worse," Draco muttered.

Dumbledore sped from his seat to examine Lucius.

"It was just a Knock-Out spell, Dumbledore, nothing serious," Narcissa said.

"I am in your debt, Narcissa. But as for right now, we need to be a bit more careful. Would you mind stowing him away into a cupboard, he won't be out for long."

"Of course, Professor. Also, that dreadful woman, Zabini has this pendant--"

"What sort of pendant," Dumbledore asked urgently as Narcissa stowed Lucius's limp form away.

"It looks like a piece of Gody old jewelry. She said it was a family heirloom; it looked so cheap, I wouldn't have doubted it. Anyway, it sort of goes off when anything happens to Lucius, Blaise, or Draco. I think they boys have them as well though I've never seen them."

Dumbledore trudged into the room Narcissa had just stored Lucius in and came back with a black and heavy-looking dragon pendant in his hand that was buzzing slightly.

"It looks as though it's already signaled. We'll have to move quickly. We have no time to round up the D.A., we'll have to go alone. If Voldemort has one of these pieces too, he'll already be on his way, carrying out his threat on the school much earlier than planned. We'll have to flee, bringing this pendant with us. Take his wand and lock that door will you? It should hold him off long enough,"

Dumbledore said.

Taking all this in without a flinch, Narcissa scooped up her husband's wand, slipped it into her robes and magically locked the cupboard that Lucius lay in. In seconds, they had both disapparated with a pop.

Ginny and Hermione, after having discussed the entire situation with the Arousal Spell and how Draco and Blaise had tricked her yet again, everything felt okay again. Ginny had admitted she had been experimenting with girls but was not bisexual and that she only kissed Hermione to try to make her feel better, not having the faintest clue why she had left the dorm that day. They both appologized and were now merrily walking down the hall to the common room, a few hours later.

They had made it to the Fat Lady's corridor when they ran into Ron who was dressed as a bright green alien, antenna and all.

"I was looking for you two," he said. "Did you--er, you know--sort everything out," he asked Hermione anxiously.

"Yes, I suppose. But, um, i what /i are you wearing," Hermione asked.

"It's my costume! For the dance in the library, remember? It starts in just fifteen minutes!"

"Oh God," said Hermione, wringing her hands. "Is it that time already? I haven't even got a costume!"

"Nor have I," said Ginny.

"Well, Madame Malkin's is selling them by mail order and it usually arrives about five minutes after you order but you'd better hurry," Ron said.

"Do you, by chance, have an order form," said Hermione lamely. She did not really want to attend Dumbledore's little 'Morale-Booster' but as Head Girl, she was to supervise the event.

"Yeah," said Ron, pulling a 'Quibbler' magazine from his back pocket.

Ginny looked at him questioningly but all he said was "I'll see you. I've got to go meet L-- my date!" and with that he sprinted down the corridor.

"His i date /i ," Ginny said, eyes wide.

Hermione didn't comment. She was much too preoccupied with the idea of having to meet Blaise or Draco at the dance.

After sending in their orders, Hermione and Ginny made their way to the library. With the lack of time, they'd have to change in the bathroom.

When Hermione reached the library, Ginny went off to find Harry and Hermione was left to sit on the benches with all the other people who didn't have dates. She dimly noticed that the library had been decorated in a sort of jungle theme with vines crawling up each book shelf, birds flying around the extended canopy-ceiling. There was also a sort of Congo music playing that was beginning to make Hermione's head pound.

Just then, she saw her Tawny Owl, Einstein, peck at a window next to her. She opened the latch as the bird flew in and shook himself dry of the cold rain water outside. In his beak was a heavy looking package that she unwrapped, hoping to God they had gotten her size right. Einstein was still there so she fed him a bit of cookie she still had in her pocket and he flew off back out into the storm.

When she finished opening her package she realized that there must have been some terrible mistake. She had ordered a sensible librarian's outfit, figuring it would go with the theme of being in a library. However, what she saw in front of her was anything but sensible. It was definitely a librarian's outfit but the ruffled skirt couldn't have been more than three inches, the peasant style shirt would surely show her midriff, and Hermione doubted whether she ever saw a librarian wearing six inch pumps. However, people were beginning to stare at her without a costume so she made her way into the bathroom to change.

When she came back out, she felt terribly exposed even with the half circle spectacles and lovely bun to accentuate her outfit. People were still staring at her, but in a different way. She was sure she had seem Eric Abercrombie wink at her and she'd bet her copy of i Hogwarts, A History /i that Justin Finch-Fletchly had jerked his head in the direction of his common room, mouthing the words 'Fuck me'. Unlike some girls, she did not enjoy this attention. She kept trying to pull down her shirt that was fully exposing her belly which only exposed her breasts more and she tried tugging down her shirt to cover her legs but that just exposed more of her midriff! i What /i had Madame Malkin been thinking?

Then on top of her wardrobe malfunction, Draco Malfoy, who was dressed as a vampire, fangs and all, seemed to be tailing her. No matter how fast she tried to walk in these damnable shoes, he was always right behind her. Blaise was there too but he seemed to be too preoccupied with the bint, Parvati (dressed in a matching Roman goddess costume) to notice her. She was about to confront him when she ran into Ginny whose Native American princess outfit seemed to be almost as skimpy as hers was.

"Madame Malkin aquired some taste this year, eh," Ginny said. Then she noticed Hermione trying futilely to cover herself. "Come on, Herm, you look great! Besides, a lot of other girls are wearing way less than that. See," Ginny pointed over to Pansy Parkinson (dressed in nothing but a skin colored bikini) who was grinding with Theo Nott.

"I guess you're right," Hermione said. "I just can't help but wonder what Dumbledore would say if he saw his Head Girl now. He already owled my parents once."

"Well, it doesn't look like Dumbledore's anywhere near here, so just have some fun, take your mind off of Draco," Ginny said.

This made Hermione look behind her. Unsurprisingly, Draco was there, admiring her assets from behind. Hermione then ushered Ginny so that they could go talk somewhere else.

"Speaking of gorgeous guys, have you seen Harry," Ginny asked.

"What do you mean, speaking of--"

"Oh, I know that he's an evil prat that will most likely be the end of us all but you have to admit, he's pretty damn good-looking," Ginny said, startling Hermione out of her wits.

"Ginny! Draco is a Death Eater!"

"A delicious one," Hermione gasped "Anyway, back to what I was saying, have you seen Harry at all?"

"No," Hermione said.

"What about Ron? I wanted to see who this supposed 'date' is. I swear if he's gotten Harry to dress up as a girl again--"

Just then, Ron walked up to them, grinning like mad, holding the hand of a very pretty girl, wearing a female version of Ron's alien suit. It Hermione didn't know any better, she'd have to say that was--

"Luna," Ginny screeched as she hugged her friend, coming back with a bit of Green paint on her nose.

"So you and Ron are together now," Hermione asked, dazed. If there were two people with any more different personalities, she didn't know them. I Well /i , that annoying voice in Hermione's head said, i there are you and Draco. /i 

"Yeah," said Ron happily and Luna giggled loudly. "I had detention, cleaning off the school carriages last week and Luna was sitting there, talking to the Thestrals."

"We just got to talking and we realized that we have a lot in common," Luna finished for him.

"Well, that's great," said Ginny, hugging them both again and becoming even greener.

"Yes, it is," Hermione agreed, glad that i someone /i was enjoying themselves in light of the dark times. However, Hermione was still puzzling how on earth someone like Luna Lovegood could make Ron more mature.

As Ron and Luna headed towards the punch table, Ginny decided to go dance with Dean "since Harry's being such a prat."

Again, Hermione was left to mingle. She decided that the music really was getting to be too much and no one looked like they needed her assistance, so she went off to the ladies room. As she splashed a bit of water over her pink cheeks, Hermione saw something very disturbing in the mirror. Right next to her reflection, she could have sworn she saw something move. She shook herself a bit figuring that the great deal of alcohol she had consumed earlier was still in her system. Then she saw it again.

She splashed more water onto her face to clear her mind when finally, the mirror turned black and she felt a warm body on the back of hers. She tried to scream but there was already a hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream," a drawling voice whispered into her ear. This made her panic even more. She struggled with all her might but he was simply stronger than she was.

"Hermione, I'm not going to hurt you," Draco whispered "I just want to know why you're mad at me." At this, she kicked him in the shin with the heel of her foot and he finally let her go. She ran as fast as she could to the door but it was locked. She put her wand to the door and said "Alohomora" but nothing happened. She slowly turned around to see Draco smirking at her.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid," he asked, fangs glinting menacingly in the dim light of the lavatory.

"Well, actually--," Hermione tried.

"Granger, I have top grades in this school next to you, don't pretend for one second that I'm an insolent dunce. If I were, I wouldn't have been able to curse you ever so discreetly," he said as he inched nearer.

Hermione was panicking now. If she reached for her wand, he would see her and her reflexes weren't that great. She thought of throwing something at him but the only object in sight seemed to be a bar of soap on the sink and she was sure that that would not keep him at bay for long. She was trapped.

"Stop looking so scared, i Hermione /i , I told you that I'm not going to hurt you."

"If you're not going to hurt me, then what do you want," she said, a tremor in her voice.

"Right about now, I want a lot of things," he said eyeing her skimpily clad body. But most of all, I just want to know why you hate me all of a sudden."

Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "If you want to prove to me that you're not stupid, you're doing a hell of a bad job at it."

"What are you talking about? How the hell am I supposed to know why you're treating me like this," Draco said and Hermione was startled to hear a bit of confusion meshed with his anger.

"You-- you know exactly what I mean," she said, not so sure anymore.

"Look, Granger, if you don't tell me what the hell you're on about--"

"Wouldn't i you /i be upset if someone that had just told you they loved you and you had put all of your trust in threw it all away and went over to the dark side? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't have any trust to put in anyone and if someone dumped you, you'd just move on to the next, big-headed bimbo," Hermione shouted.

"What," Draco whispered.

"You heard m--,"

Draco practically sprinted over to her as he hugged her to him. Hermione pushed him away.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Hermione asked, voice trembling.

"Hermione, I would never leave you! I told you that I don't want anything to do with all of that shit! Where on earth did you get the idea that just because that red-eyed mother fucker put a threat on the school, I'd go lolly-gagging right on after him? I love you!"

"Hu," Hermione said, confusedly.

" i Who /i told you that I was fighting for Voldemort, Hermione," Draco asked, silvery eyes fixated on hers, clearer than she'd ever seen them before.

"No one," Hermione said, feeling incredibly stupid. "Blaise told me that he was going over so I just assumed that--"

"Never assume anything, Hermione! You're the smartest witch in this school and anytime you're given a fact, you never just accept it and move on! You research it, you find out all you can about it until you're satisfied! Blaise and I might be brothers-in-law soon and we might be Slytherins and we might even be best friends but we will i never /i be the same person! Blaise is a god damn idiot for doing whatever the fuck his mummy tells him to. I would i never /i leave you, Hermione," Draco finished.

Then Hermione began to cry.

He held her again. "It's okay," he whispered into her ear "It's an easy mistake to make considering how awful I've been to you all these years. I should have come straight to you when Dumbledore made the announcement. Please don't hate me," he said in a small voice that Hermione had never heard him use before.

Hermione lifted her head. "I don't hate you," Hermione said "I haven't been thinking straight what with everything going on. i You /i should be the one hating i me /i ," Hermione said.

"Shh," Draco said "Never have I hated you; even when you thought I did. And you know what? I never will."

Hermione almost cried again. His embrace was so soft and warm and she could feel his breath on hers. All of a sudden, his lips were against hers for the second time that day and she found that she didn't mind in the slightest. She even let him continue when she felt his hands at her peasant shirt. The door was locked, no one would miss them, and Hermione was the happiest she had felt in a very long time. She had no reservations about doing something wrong and it surprised her. Maybe it was because this wasn't wrong. Maybe it was inexplicably right?

His hands fluttered over the buttons on her top and his hips pushed on hers until she was backed up onto the sink. When he finally managed to get her top undone, he immediately went for her bra as though in desperate need to see her bare flesh. When the lacy covering had been thrown to the ground, his pale fingers brushed gently over her nipples and Hermione was in heaven. No one had i ever /i made her feel like this before.

Next, he removed his fingers from Hermione's hard, pink nubs as she moaned from the loss. Instead, he lowered his mouth onto one and Hermione had to put her hand over her mouth to stop from screaming. He looked up at her and said "No need to stop yourself, dear, I've already put a silencing spell up."

Hermione laughed. "So confident you were that I'd want this after my realization, eh?"

"Well, I i am /i a Slytherin," Draco said with a smug smile as he continued to lick her chest.

Soon, he was kissing his way down her stomach as he stopped to swirl his tongue in her bellybutton. Hermione giggled.

"Damn, you taste good," Draco said in a husky voice and Hermione knew that he was getting turned on. She realized at that moment that Draco had way too many clothes on. She reached to undo the buttons on his shirt and was soon lifting his vampire cape off of his shoulders.

After both of them were complete stripped from the uppers, Draco seemed to get an idea. He bit her neck--hard. There was no blood but Hermione was sure it would leave a mark. She liked it all the same and asked him to do it again. Draco seemed surprised at her reaction and continued to gently bite her with his realistic vampire fangs all over her body until she was writhing for more contact.

Draco then slipped a hand under Hermione's skirt and, without touching her, pulled her knickers right off, her pumps hitting the floor right along with them. Then he sat Hermione up on the sink and bent down to look at her. She spread her legs so as to ride up her librarian skirt and he smelled her deeply, just like he had last Halloween and said "You smell just as I remember you."

"And how's that?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Like sweet, sweet lime," Draco said. "I've never wanted to taste something so much in my life."

"Taste it then," Hermione said, surprised to hear herself have such a needy voice.

Then, Draco did just that. He lowered his entire face onto Hermione's pulsing snatch and began licking her in earnest. Hermione's fingers went white on the edges of the sink. She thought that is she would let go, she's simply float up into oblivion and never come back down. The blonde head, enjoying himself as he went up and down on her increased the pleasure tenfold. Unfortunately, before Hermione could come, there was a knock on the door.

Hermione quickly jumped off of the sink and reapplied her clothing.

"Come on, Hermione, we can just tell them to go away," Draco said pleadingly.

"No," Hermione said firmly. "I'm the Head Girl and I need to be patrolling outside anyway," she said. She saw the lonely look on the handsome boy's face so she said "But I'm free anytime tomorrow," with a wink.

Draco raised his pale eyebrows at her in challenge. "How's the Head Dorm," Draco asked.

"Hmm, how convenient that we share quarters, I'd almost forgotten," Hermione said smirking. "But not tonight." Draco's face fell. "I promised Ginny I'd stay over with her because I haven't spent time with her in ages but, tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay," Draco said resignedly.

He gave her a quick kiss in which his tongue somehow managed to slide into her mouth for less than a second. Then, making sure his hair looked all right in the mirror, he strode directly out of the girls bathroom for all to see while Hermione stayed in her stall, not wanting to look suspicious. The third year Ravenclaw who had been knocking looked terrified of Draco and ran the other way. Just in case, Hermione waited an extra fifteen minutes before leaving. When she did, the dance was almost over, only Theodore and Pansy left dancing.

A brilliant smile on her face, Hermione walked off towards Gryffindor Tower where she met Ginny. She decided not to tell the girl about everything right now. She was too caught up in how good she felt to bother explaining things.

"Where've you been," Ginny asked, knowingly.

"Draining my sorrows," Hermione said much too happily.

Ginny giggled as they made their way up the steps.

They then walked into the common room to find it a ruin. Their first clue was the portrait of the Fat Lady; instead of being ripped to shreds as it had the night Sirius Black had pervaded the enclosure, it had been burned. A huge black and sizzling hole had spread throughout the middle of the canvas and, sadly, the Fat Lady had not had time to flee before pink paint dripped to the floor. Hermione had called out for help but there was no one around. She knew that whoever had done this could be injuring students at this very moment. Her and Ginny were forced to take out their wands and enter.

The common room was empty and had also been destroyed beyond recognition. The once brilliantly scarlet sofas and chairs had been burned a livid black that smoked and depressed the room with a sickening fume; the portraits on the gold emblazoned wall paper had been thrown randomly off the walls, some having made it into the fire that was still crackling eerily, others just sitting there, the occupants groaning in pain; the tables and bookshelves had been splintered and toppled; and the books---

"No," Hermione cried as she went to examine the old tomes that he become like her friends over the years. They had been mutilated worse than anything. Each page of every book had been carefully torn and burned; the covers ripped from the bindings, smeared with red ink and one even looked bitten into. Whoever had done this, Hermione knew, must have been trying to hurt her above anyone else. Why else would they have taken valuable time to decapitate her precious books?

She looked 'round and saw that Ginny had made her way up the girls stairs which were crumbling slightly at her feet.

"Be careful, Ginny!"

Hermione saw Ginny walk into the room carefully, trying not to set thew staircase off. She made it safely inside. Then Hermione heard a scream.

She jetted up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, not caring about the crumbling steps and made her way into her old dorm room. She saw Ginny standing there, unmoving, eyes fixed on a spot slightly above the floor.

"Ginny," Hermione said cautiously, feeling her awareness come back to her even through the fire whiskey. Ginny didn't move. She just stood there, mouth hanging open slightly. Hermione moved nearer, careful not to startle Ginny. If she had gone into shock, any sudden movements could cause severe damage. As Hermione walked up next to her, she saw what the red-head had been staring at. She bent down low to see a navy-blue box perking out from under Parvati's bed. The box read "Deadly Love Potions". Interested, Hermione inched closer to read the inscription. It said:

i This rare set of love potions will cause the drinker to fall in love with the one cared about most by another. He/she will become extremely protective of this new person and will not cease to love them until they die. If they are unable to have intercourse with their beloved within seven days of consumption, the drinker and the beloved will die.

WARNING: MAY CAUSE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR FROM DRINKER IN SOME CASES KILLING ALL THOSE HE/SHE COMES INTO CONTACT WITH. /i 

Hermione opened the box cautiously and saw something that almost made her faint. There was a vial of liquid as blue as the box but it was halfway empty. However, that was not what frightened her. Next to the vial and enclosed in a small plastic bag was a small lock of bushy, brown hair.

Hermione couldn't look at it anymore. So, someone had been given a potion to love her and if they didn't have sex with her, him and her would die! Hermione knew that Parvati was a bitch but this was just unthinkable! She stood up from her crouching position and looked at Ginny who still had not come to herself. Hermione ushered her out of the room, assuring her that they would go straight to the headmaster and sort everything out.

As they both climbed out of the ruin, they heard a noise coming from the boys' dormitories. Ginny was still too terrified to do anything, so urging Ginny to stay where she was, Hermione slowly and silently, pushed open the tarred door. There was Harry, eyes alight in a dark blue glow, clothing torn and burned as the common room, wand in his hand as he finished setting fire to Seamus's bed.

Hermione tried to think rationally but there was nothing for it! Parvati had given the potion to Harry! No wonder he had been especially protective of her the last few days! She stood still as Harry began manically cutting the drapery on his own bed with his wand. She wondered, astounded, what kind of sick person could do something like this. That's when he saw her. Harry looked directly at her with his once-green eyes and flew--as though in a muggle movie--directly at her.

Hermione felt fingers around her throat and her skirt and knickers being ripped to pieces with sharp nails. She felt warm blood trickle slowly down her pelvis. She struggled to get away and even to scream but no air was making it to her lungs. Then all of a sudden, as soon as the whole thing started, it stopped.

Harry looked down at her and Hermione saw that his eyes were green again and that his too-long nails had shrunken to the bitten ones she had always remembered. It was just Harry, hair disheveled and clothes smoking. He sat there motionless and all that could be heard was his breathing on top of hers. She felt hot tears touch her face and she realized that Harry was crying!

She finally sat up and was brave enough to hold him. She had never seen anyone look so pathetic and lonely before. She wanted to keep him here forever, in her arms. He needed her so much, she could feel it in the way he clung back. Then Hermione found that she was crying too.

She heard footsteps come from outside and Hermione remembered that Ginny was still there. Untangling herself from Harry, who let out a wounded moan at the loss of affection, Hermione met Ginny at the threshold of the doorway. Ginny was still looking startled as she watched her boyfriend cry like a small wounded animal on the wrecked floor.

"It's him, isn't it," Ginny whispered.

"Yes," Hermione whispered back, more tears running down her face at the look of horror and realization in Ginny's pale blue eyes.

Wiping her tears from her face hurriedly and trying to stop sniffing, Hermione said "We've got to get someone. We can't leave the common room like this."

Still looking at Harry with utmost sympathy and-- was that love?-- Ginny said "Yes, I'll go." And with that, one of Hermione's only friends walked back down the steps quietly, leaving her first crush and her best friend alone to try and work out how their lives had gotten so screwed up in such a short period of time.

TBC

A/N: Yes, I know I said this one would be up much sooner, but that's life for you. I know I also promised a revalation about Blaise but the stuff with Harry seemed a little more important. I swear I'll get to Blaise next chapter. Wow, I am SUCH a disappointing author. Perhaps I should stop promising things? And I do hope you enjoyed it, PLEASE keep leaving those reviews, they are my Elixir of Life.

To users: I'm terribly sorry about the HTML thing. Just so you don't get confused, when a word or phrase has i before it and /i after it, it is meant to be italicized. Also, the site will not allow me to add question marks, sorry. I do hope I can figure this out.

Disappointing Author of Doom,

HZ


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello again! Sorry for these long update gaps. I have this disorder where I don't feel like getting up off of my ass, lol. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sorry, JKR's the billionaire, not me.

Chapter 7: What A Girl Wants

Blaise Zabini hated his life. He i never /i got what he wanted no matter how many people he tried to please. First there was his mother who he had let tell him who to date ever since he was old enough. If he had stopped listening to her sooner, maybe he and Hermione would have been together a long time ago. Then there was Parvati. He felt the need to constantly please her even though she never did anything for him in return. He even bought her that blasted ring, which cost him half of his father's trust fund.

Least of all, Blaise hated having to please Voldemort. He never wanted to be a Death Eater. He thought that going after Muggles and Muggle-borns was horrible if not incredibly ridiculous. The only reason he did it was because he never went back on his promises. When his father had become a Death Eater, Blaise only being four at the time, he had asked Blaise to protect his mother should anything happen and he swore. He knew that if he did not take up his father's position, he and his mother would be killed. He did not want to be responsible for hurting his mother no matter how much she attempted to ruin his life.

He was going to see Hermione today to explain everything. He felt horrible for leaving her like that the other day and he was hoping that, for once, things just might go his way.

On his way down the hall, he saw Ginny Weasley rushing by, looking like she had been crying. That couldn't be a good sign.

He first checked the library where his bright little witch was sure to be spending her day but she was not there. His second choice would have been the Head Common Room but he didn't feel like having a controversy with Draco right now, especially since the boy had been sending him covert looks ever since his tryst with Parvati at the ball. He then checked the grounds but she was nowhere. He was about to give up when he spotted Weasley lounging outside the door to the hospital wing.

"Weasley," he said in greeting. Ron shot him a glare worthy of Draco.

"What do you want," he asked as though he was nothing but scum.

'Well I sort of am'," Blaise reminded himself.

"I was wondering if you knew where Hermione went."

"What do you care?" Blaise could have sworn he heard a cough that sounded distinctly like the word 'traitor'.

"I wanted to apologize to her for being a jerk." Ron raised his eyebrows. "Do you know where she is or not?"

Still looking skeptically at Blaise, Ron nodded his head through the door to the infirmary. Blaise walked in, startled to see the Professor McGonagall speaking to Hermione in a hushed voice. This must be serious. When the Professor spotted him, she glanced at him suspiciously before nodding at Hermione and leaving the two together. Hermione furrowed her brows as though unsure if this was real or not.

He stepped forward. When he did so, he saw who's bed she was standing by. Hermione saw his line of vision and laughed humorlessly.

"Well, now you see what your cow of a girlfriend is capable of."

Blaise blinked at her. "Parvati did this? To Harry," the dark haired boy asked.

"Why so surprised," Hermione asked harshly.

"I just didn't think that--," he tried.

"That the girl that I told you on many occasions was a complete and utter bitch from hell could possibly hurt someone? Millionth time this week you've made a horribly wrong asumption if you ask me," she said, not looking at him. He had the decency to look guilty.

"What do you want?" It wasn't cold but it wasn't nice either.

"Maybe we could go somewhere a bit more private," he suggested.

"No, I think I'll stay here," she said bluntly. "My friend needs me. Besides, it's not like he's going to wake up from this anytime soon."

Blaise looked confused. "What exactly happened?"

"Oh, nothing," said Hermione sarcastically. "Just got slipped an illegal love potion that will never wear off."

He was still confused. "Who is he supposed to love," Blaise asked, already dreading the answer.

"Couldn't you guess," Hermione asked. "Who else would your girlfriend want preoccupied, fatally, I might add, with someone else so that her fiance wouldn't fool around with them?"

Blaise bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Hermione."

"Then why be with her if your so God damn sorry," she fumed. "Why not just leave all of that behind and be with who you really love?"

"It's not that easy," Blaise yelled.

"Why not? All you have to do it tell her you won't stay with her anymore! You don't have to ruin your life," she cried.

"It's not just Parvati, Hermione," Blaise said, beginning to lose his temper. "You think this is some kind of game! It's always been about you and your studies and whether or not you are the girl you once were. I've seen you crying. It's pathetic! The people out their dying right now don't give a flying fuck whether or not you're happy with your love life! Think! You've always been so bloody good at it!"

"You care so much about people dying yet you're the one agreeing to kill them," shouted Hermione.

"War was never about sympathy. War is about loyalty and the greed of man and every other pointless fucking thing in human nature."

"You don't have to reform to the system, Blaise. You can be different! Draco--"

"Draco is a coward," Blaise voiced for the first time. "He's terrified of what would happen if he would go back to Voldemort. He already denounced his ways when he let slip that he loved you."

"You--You TOLD on him," she said, unbelieving.

"What other choice did I have?"

"You could have stood up for your BEST FRIEND! You could have--"

"I would have been killed," he said quietly, his head bowed.

"So Draco's not worth your life? Am I," she asked, voice shaking slightly.

"So fucking typical, Granger! Always about you! I guess all there is left to ask is whether or not I'm in love with Parvati, right? Is that what you want? You and your god forsaken details! You've never looked at the big picture, that's your problem. That's why you did horribly in Divination. It's about looking at life as one and not as an intricate working of complicated parts. It's about who wins the war, not who dies in the process," Blaise explained in a manic fervor.

"Sometimes, when you love someone, one life can be worth the world," Hermione said softly, looking into his hazel eyes.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT LOVE," Blaise screamed, eyes blazing.

It was the first time Hermione had ever been told she knew nothing on a subject; the first time she thought the person saying it might be right.

"Have you ever loved someone so hopelessly that you would have died for them, repeatedly, had you had more than one life to give? Have you ever longed to touch a person, even just to talk to them just to hear their voice? Have you ever wanted all that and not been able to get it? All because of some stupid, organized, RULE? The bloody rules that you live your life by so graciously," he asked.

Hermione shuddered.

"I thought not. Well, now you know. I don't love Parvati. Never have, never will," Blaise said simply.

And he walked away.

It had been hours. Hermione could tell by the mist forming slowly outside the infirmary window. Harry had woken up once and been hushed back to sleep after inquiring about the tear stains on Hermione's face. Ron had apparently left when Hermione and Blaise had begun shouting. It was almost past midnight when she had given up on watching Harry and decided to make her way down to the Head Common Room. She was sure that Draco would be looking for her and sure enough, he was pacing the room, looking worried.

"Where were you," he asked, coming to make sure she was all right.

"With Harry," Hermione said. Catching Draco's furious look, she added "Not like that. I'll explain later."

Draco accepted reluctantly when she saw how worn out she looked. "I had wanted to take you to Hogsmeade today but it's too late now," he said.

"Says who," Hermione said, looking forward to some fresh air and to forget about Blaise and Harry.

"You--you really want to go now," Draco asked, a glint in his eye. "But how? We're not supposed to be out--"

"You're Draco Malfoy! I would have thought that you would be a super-sleuth in sneaking out of the castle. Luckily, Harry let me borrow his invisibility cloak," Hermione said, rushing upstairs to grab it.

"Brilliant," said Draco when she returned. He joined her underneath as they made their way to Hogsmeade, completely undetected.

After a very sweaty walk there in which both needed to stop to catch their breath on many occasions and where they almost got caught by Filch when Hermione tripped over a boulder and had her shoe show, they finally managed to make their way to a park bench outside of the Three Broomsticks. Hermione threw the cloak off. She hoped no teachers would be visiting the village this late.

Draco strung his arm around her and turned to face her. Being that close to her in a confined space for so long had gotten him extremely hard. He lifted her with ease and situated her on his lap. Hermione giggled.

"So," he said, a sexy grin now encompassing his face "what makes a girl like Hermione Granger feel good?"

"W--what do you mean," Hermione stammered.

Draco chuckled, his piercing eyes causing lovely sensations to spread through her chest. "What turns you on?"

"You," Hermione said simply. Draco laughed again.

"I could figure that much out," he said, gyrating his thigh slightly so that it moved under her now soaking skirt. "What else?"

"Well, Blaise obviously, but--"

"Forget about Blaise, love. It doesn't have to be a person. What about dirty talk? What about bondage? You like being tied up and called a little whore? Public exposure? Role play? Come on, you gotta help me out here," Draco said, still rocking his hips.

Hermione seemed to be a bit overwhelmed. Her eyes were wide and Draco could feel the river cascading onto his suede pants.

"Well, there is one thing," Hermione said shyly.

"Anything," said Draco hoarsely. She blushed.

"Anything," Hermione asked, a sly grin appearing on her innocent face.

"Anything," Draco repeated. "But first. let's grab some butterbeer. I didn't just make a half hour trip to Hogsmeade to leave right away."

After they had got some butterbeer, they went back out on the bench where their private licks and touches would be less noticeable. Back on Draco's lap again, Hermione began to kiss him in earnest before she couldn't take it anymore.

She got up from Draco's lap, unruffling her skirt where it had bunched, and backed away, still smiling wildly. "Follow me," she said, turning and speed walking back towards Hogsmeade station. Once inside the castle, Draco on her tail, Hermione rushed down the halls until she found the infirmary. She knew that this was wrong but she had wondered for so long.

Draco caught up with her, crouching down, hands on his knees, to try and catch his breath. "You know," Draco said, still panting "for wearing a skirt and heels, you sure can run a relay."

Hermione giggled. "Just because I don't play Quidditch doesn't mean that I can't run."

When the blond boy got up from his overdramatized coughing fit, he looked up to see where it was that this feisty witch had brought him.

"What are we doing here," he asked.

"Promise me you won't freak out," Hermione said, bracing herself.

"Love, I probably have the kinkiest fantasies of anyone in this school, you can show me."

"Okay," she said skeptically as she walked into the infirmary door, hand in hand with the one person she should never be doing this with.

Stepping tentatively into the bright light of the hospital, Hermione spotted her best friend at the far corner, right where she had left him only an hour ago. She didn't look back at Draco. She was afraid of what she might see.

"Harry," she said softly, approaching the bed and brushing aside the jet-black hair and revealing his thin scar. He stirred. His eyes, green now, such a beautiful contrast to the unearthly blue they had been yesterday evening, were staring up at her with a mixture of joy and confusion.

"Hi, 'Mione. Erm, where am I again?"

"You don't remember me telling you everything," Hermione said, a creeping sensation in her gut telling her that perhaps this was not such a good idea. "I was up here only a bit ago."

Harry's brow furrowed for a moment before realization crept over his features. "Yeah, 'course I remember," he said sleepily. Hermione grinned. She rarely saw Harry this relaxed.

Hermione looked back at Draco to see one eyebrow raised and standing uncharacteristically back, looking unsure. "Harry," she said, turning back to his bedside "you have a visitor." Harry peered past Hermione's form to see the blond, who had not, at first, realized was there. Harry started.

"What the fuck is he doing here," Harry groused. In a flash, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office to reprimand Harry for his language and to tell Hermione and Draco that they could only have a few more minutes because Harry needed to rest. Hermione wondered vaguely if all the teachers had 'Bad Behavior Sensors'. First being levitated out of the library and now this. She also wondered where Pomfrey had been when her and Blaise were arguing. She sure could have used the distraction then.

When Hermione didn't answer his question, Harry rounded on Draco who took a step out from the shadows and fixed Harry with a glare worthy of a particularly disgusting skrewt. Then, losing his exterior all together, Draco turned to Hermione. "That's a good question, Granger. What the fuck i am /i I doing here?". He coughed. "Minus the fuck part."

"Well, you asked me what made me feel good and here you have it..." Hermione wasn't sure what kind of reaction that statement would merit. However, judging by the looks on their faces, neither Draco nor Harry had the faintest inkling what she was talking about.

"Draco," Hermione said in the bravest voice she could muster "I want you to have sex with Harry Potter and," both boys eyes were now as wide as dinner plates "let me watch."

Harry shot up out of the bed with a snap. Draco saw this and backed away so furiously that he tripped on his trainers and fell backwards on the floor.

"WHAT!"

Hermione was surprised to see that Harry was the first to react.

"Hermione, when I said 'anything', I didn't mean--," Draco tried, still on the floor.

"I've just been poisoned with God knows what and you're--you're--!"

"Stop," Hermione said in exasperation. "This was a bad idea."

"God damn right it was," Harry said, taking an extremely large gulp of his sleeping potion as though it were firewhiskey and he was trying to forget everything that had just happened, which Hermione reminded herself, he probably was. He colapsed upon his bed once more, fast asleep.

Hermione turned to see Draco, wiping a fleck of dust from his robes where he had hit the floor, staring determinedly at the floor, eyes half shut.

"I don't believe you," he said finally.

"I told you not to freak out! I knew it'd be bad enough with Harry just waking up and everything..."

Draco just stared at her, mouth slightly open and eyes wide. He continued this all the way up to their common room. Hermione just sat there opposite him on the red sofa, where they had first kissed. She felt much more uncomfortable than on that occasion. Draco still looked like he had swallowed a particularly over-inflated balloon.

After a few minutes of silence in which Hermione had bitten her lip so hard that it had begun to bleed, Draco finally got out of his stupor and broke the stagnant air.

"I'm curious, Hermione, what the hell were you thinking," Draco said, one pale eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Well, you said that--," she tried.

"Oh don't give me that "you said anything" crap because I'm not buying it. I've watched you for over six years. Don't lie to me," said Draco. He actually looked a bit angry, Hermione thought.

"You're right," she said, standing up and moving farther away from their couches. She didn't really feel like being verbally throttled right now for something that wasn't her fault. "The reason that Harry's in the hospital is because of Parvati. That's why she wasn't at breakfast.," Hermione said in a baritone. Draco looked puzzled but she continued. "For some inexplicable reason, probably having a lot to do with Blaise, she thought she had the right to feed Harry and illegal love potion. And it's not one of those ones from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It's dark magic that McGonagall said was completely irreversible."

"Why are you telling me this," Draco asked, starting to fidget in his seat.

"I'm getting there," Hermione said impatiently. "The love potion," she paused, looking directly into Draco's eyes, "was to make him fall in love with me." She waited. When Draco did nothing but continue to stare at her, she went on. "And unless I have sexual intercourse with Harry, he'll die," she finished.

Ignoring the fact that Hermione had just let slip that her best friend for most of her life was about to die, Draco said "That stupid little bitch! I guess it's true what they say about becoming like the one's your with." Hermione could only assume that he was speaking of Blaise. Draco continued, "But why in the hell did you think that me having sex with Potter, a boy no less, would make all of this okay," he growled.

"I--I thought that if you and Harry bonded, all three of us might be able to--to-- Oh, I don't know what I was thinking," she cried. She walked back over to her sofa and collapsed in a trembling heap.

"Hermione," Draco said softer though he did not move to comfort her. "This isn't your fault, all right? If you have to be with Potter, then so be it. Just please don't drag me into this."

Hermione raised her head, looking at him with tear stained eyes. He hopped the table and sat down beside her, pulling her close. He held her for a time until she stopped crying enough to speak. "I don't know what to do," she voiced. "I don't like Harry like that! He's my best friend and I don't want to ruin that! I love you, Draco! And then there's Ginny and Bl--," Hermione stopped herself as she felt Draco's body tense.

"I've always hated Potter but now I feel kind of bad for him," Draco said, easing up again. 'But," he said, turning his head in Hermione's direction. "does the potion wear off after you have sex with him?"

Hermione knew this would be coming. "No," she said sadly but truthfully. "That's why it's such dark magic, it permanent!" Seeing the hatred in Draco's eyes, she added very quickly "But McGonagall's working on it! She says she might be able to find a way to reverse it!"

"I'm sorry that this had to happen to you, Hermione," he said, resting his forehead on hers. He leaned down and kissed her. She felt his velvety hot tongue against her own and his hard chest pressed up against her through his robes. She couldn't help but moan. He then began kissing down her neck, leaving a fiery trail of wet lust all along her collar, his soft hair tickling her as he went down. When he reached the top of her black Hogwarts robe, he took her hand and motioned for her to stand up as he lifted it from her body. Hermione was grateful because the temperature in the room seemed to have increased ten-fold.

"Hermione," he whispered as he cupped a breast and began kneading it roughly, bringing her small nipple to sharp peak.

Then he pushed her down on the scarlet sofa so that she bounced slightly with her fall. The blazing hungry look in Draco's eyes and all of his roughness was soaking Hermione's panties.

"God you're beautiful," he said, looking at her rapidly rising and falling chest. "You know what, Hermione, I think you deserve anything that you want right about now," Draco said slyly, sitting next to her and brushing her hair from her eyes.

"You mean--?"

"I do," Draco said, smirking her trademark smirk and laying atop her, trying to adjust his erection so that he did not press it uncomfortably on her skirt. He kissed her again. "I know that that love potion isn't the only reason you want to see Potter and I together," Draco said, now pressing his sharp hips into her. She moaned.

"You like seeing boys together, don't you," rocking his hips against her. "You loved it when you me and Blaise, I saw how flushed you were." His sped up his grinding. "You'd love it if I did that to Potter, wouldn't you?" She arched her back. "If I was with Harry and we wouldgrind together until we both come. Would you like that?" Hermione pressed herself to Draco one last time as she came in her pants.

"I though so," Draco said, still atop her, waiting for her to calm down before he pulled her up by the hand and out of the common room. "Hermione gets what she wants."

A/N: Ah! We're getting to our first major smut part and I'm a bit nervous... How far should I go? Please let me know! Slightly dirtier version can be found at this link: http/hp. 


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